Heat, the 70th Hunger Games(SYOT)
by JStar14H
Summary: The 70th Hunger Games will be a Hunger Games with an Arena like no other. This time, it's all up to the Tributes. SYOT closed, but please, still read my story!
1. SYOT form and a word from the Gamemakers

**Note: I do not own the rights to the Hunger Games, those all belong to the wonderful Suzanne Collins.**

 **Hi all! This is my first attempt at a fanfic here, and my first Hunger Games fanfic. I hope you like it! This will be SYOT. I look forward to seeing all of your wonderful tributes! I'll try to make them all very alive. Until they die, at least. I'll start this off with a little bit from our chief GameMakers prescriptive.**

I stared at the plans for the arena. In previous years with an Arena like this, people had complained that the Arena killed the Tributes too easily, and that it didn't give the Tributes enough opportunity to kill each other. Well, this year, _we_ wouldn't kill any Tributes. They'd have to kill each other. And we'd give them plenty of ways to do so. The Arena might almost kill them, but not quite. I'd make sure of that. Oh, this is going to be fun! I let out a gleeful laugh.

 **This is the Tribute submission form. I'll have a list of all the spots on my profile. Please PM me the completed form. To reserve a spot, PM me. You may submit up to two Tributes.**

 **3/24 Submitted! Send in some more!**

 **Form:**

 **Name:**

 **Age:**

 **District:**

 **Appearance (basic stuff like hair color, eye color, hair length and style):**

 **Detailed Appearance (optional) (stuff like scars, height, weight, etc.):**

 **Personality:**

 **Backstory:**

 **Friends:**

 **Family:**

 **Boyfriend/Girlfriend/Person they have a crush on:**

 **Reaped/Volunteered:**

 **If Reaped, reaction:**

 **If Volunteered, why?**

 **Physical strengths:**

 **Mental strengths:**

 **Physical weaknesses:**

 **Mental weaknesses:**

 **Open to Allies:**

 **Open to In game romance:**

 **Note: Some of this form is borrowed from others because I liked the questions. I hope nobody minds. :) I think the unique parts mostly come from InfintyBook.**


	2. How this Hunger Games is different

**Author's note: Some have asked for more. This is more. I don't want to give away what makes this special, so this is intentionally vague. Please start submitting Tributes! You can submit a Tribute via PM or via review/comment. If you don't receive a reply from me within 24 hours, please use the method of submitting your Tribute that you have not already used! I'm looking forward to seeing your Tributes!**

 **President Snow's POV**

"Come in," I say. The head Gamemaker comes in through the door, looking nervous. As well he should. Last year, the Head Gamemaker was beheaded. It was not that the Games were not entertaining, it was that they took too long to be entertaining. Ah, last year...

 **Isabella (D11 Female) -13- POV (last Hunger Games** )

"I'm surprised I made it this long," I whisper to Deven, my District partner.

"Me too," He says.

"Which one of us should it be?" I ask.

"You should win. You're the surprising victor," He says. "Besides, I wouldn't want to live in a world where I killed you."

"Okay," I say. I take the knife out of my belt and kiss him. I slowly bring my hand up to his throat and run the knife along it. I drop the knife. I keep kissing him for a few seconds and then drop him as blood wells up out of his neck.

Boom!

A cannon sounds, and the anthem plays. Corbel, the announcer's voice, plays.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the winner of the 69th Hunger Games, Isabella, age 13, from District 11!"

 **President Snow's POV.**

Ah, yes, last year. That finale had been good. The finale that occurred on _Day 15!_ The winner, Isabella, had been hiding all game, until the last day. She was one of the final 4. She had no kills to her name, and one of the other ones who was left was her District partner, Deven. She, realizing that Day 15 was the last, headed to the cornucopia. She killed the other two Tributes who showed up, slitting both of their throats. Then Deven showed up. She and he had quite the little pre-game romance going on, so of course, we made it quite a spectacle. As it happened, Deven had just asked Isabella out in District 11, a day before the reaping. Due to the luck of the draw, we Reaped both of them. They continued their relationship until the last minute when she slit his throat. Quality entertainment there, quality entertainment.

I look at the head Gamemaker expectantly.

"Well?" I ask. He stares blankly at me. Since he walked in, he has moved so that he is behind one of the two chairs that faces my desk. He looks intimidated. Good. "How are these Hunger Games going to be different?" "How will they entertain me? What is going to make them shine, stand out? I'm waiting."

"Ah, yes," He replies, "Um..."

"Oh, just give me the card," I say, disgusted. I except a little bit of nervousness from my underlings, but this guy was disgusting me. I hope that he could at least put on a good show. You never know, sometimes the weird ones are the best show makers. Like that one guy...

"Sir?" His hand is outstretched, with the card in it. I realize I've drifted off again. I really need to stop doing that. I snap the card out of his hand and start to read it.

 _Instructions for the 70th annual Hunger Games._

 _In past times the Arena of the Hunger Games has closely resembled most of our Panem. Meadows, forests, rivers, streams, and lakes have all been a part of the design. The design has tended to stay rather similar. All that will change in this game. This Arena is not like any other. How is it different? It's a desert._

 _The Arena Designers should make sure that there are plenty of small water sources available, decent amounts of water in the Cornucopia and that rain refreshes any that might die of dehydration. A Tribute dying of thirst is no fun. Also, there should be ample cover in the form of trees, rocks and the like._

 _The best twist is below. It can be used on its own if no Arena meeting the criteria is able to be designed before the games are to take place._

 _The final twist is this: There will be no Gamemaker caused deaths. To illustrate that the Districts brought their own deaths upon themselves, all deaths must be Tribute-inflicted._

I look up from the card.

"Might this cause the action to go a bit slower?" I ask.

"No, Sir," The head Gamemaker replies. "The card only said that we cannot kill them, not that we cannot... _motivate_ them," He says with a rye smile. "We can use our usual tricks to motivate them to get closer to each other. Firewalls, packs of mutts, all that sort of thing, as long as we don't _kill_ them. I actually think it'll be more fun that way, as having somebody sniff a flower and die is rather anti-climatic, don't you think? This way, we'll be guaranteed more fun fights."

"I like you..." I wait for him to introduce himself.

"Peter, Sir."

"I like you, Peter. Don't disappoint me."

"I won't, Sir."

 **A/N: So, originally I wasn't going to tell you the twist. But, if I just put "the Arena will be different", you would have figured out that it would be a desert from the title, so there was no point. Also, without doing Gamemaker/President stuff, there's no story, at least not until I get some Tributes! So, please, submit some Tributes! I'm not quite sure how this website's PM feature works, so if you PM me your Tribute or reservation and don't hear back within 24 hours, please, leave a review with your Tribute or reservation! Thank you for reading and for submitting your Tributes!**


	3. District 4 Reapings

**A word about Sponser points:**

 **You get 10 points for submitting a Tribute. You can submit up to 2 Tributes, so you can get up to 20 points just for submitting a Tribute. You can get additional Sponser points by posting a review, with the item you would like to Sponser and the Tribute you would like to Sponser it to. For example: I'd like to Sponser Aurora a bottle of water. You get 2 Sponser points more than the Sponser points that the item cost. So, if a bottle of water costs 1 Sponser point, and you had 10. After giving her the bottle of water, you would have 11 Sponser points.**

 **District 4 reapings. Thanks to Hawkmaid for the Tributes!**

 _Bella Trinket's POV._

I look out at the crowd of children assembled for the reaping. I always hope that no 12 year-olds will get picked. I feel so sorry for the 12 year olds. Most of the people in the Capitol think 12 year olds are better, but I don't want more than 1 or 2 a game. Now the 13 and 14 year olds, they provide quality entertainment.

I step up to the microphone.

"Hello, and welcome to the District 4 reapings!" I say. I am greeted by applause from the audience. I feel sorry for the people, like my sister Effie, in the poorer Districts. They never get applause. Here, at least, even if people aren't excited, they pretend to be.

"Ladies first," I say, as I make a big show of drawing the piece of paper out of the bowl.

"The Female Tribute from District 4 is..."

 **1 hour earlier...** _Brooke Nash -15- -D4- POV._

I walk with my friends Ridley and Cora towards the reaping area.

"Are you excited for the reaping?" Cora asks. Cora is a 15 year old blonde girl. She has been training for the Hunger Games her whole life, but her parents and won't let her volunteer until she's 16.

"Excited? If you mean afraid that I'll get picked, then yes. Otherwise, no," I say. I, for one, never want to go into the Hunger Games. Maybe my Grandfather's paranoia has rubbed off on me. His forced me to train for the Games since I was 14 and my brother got jailed for stealing food. He thinks the Capitol is setting us up. I don't believe him, but I figure that training can't hurt me. I try to remind myself that of all the girls in District 4, it's very unlikely that I'll get picked. I don't have to enter for any Tessera's, so my name is only in the pool 3 times this year. I probably won't get picked. As I approach the square, I see Tidal Steinberg walking towards us. I smile at him.We stop as he approaches.

"Hey Cora!" He says. Of course he's here for Cora. He'd never notice me.

"Hey Tidal," She says.

"Looking foward to the Reaping?" He asks.

"Of course, you?" She replies.

"Yup," He flexes his muscles, showing them off. He and Cora have an agreement that if neither of them are reaped, they'll both volunteer next year.

"Hey Tidal," I say.

"Hey... Brooke?" He says.

"Kiss for luck?" I ask, with a blush. I wouldn't normally be this brazen, but I might die today, so why not.

"Sure," He says. He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, before turning back to Cora.

"Well, honey, I've got to go," He says.

"Okay, honey," she says, giving him a kiss. His arms wrap around her before Ridely interrupts.

"Ah-hem. Other people around," She says.

"Right, well, I should be going," Tidal says and walks over to the Male, 14 area.

As me and my friends walk over to the Female, 14 area, Cora asks, "So, Brooke, you never told me, why did you start training? I know you don't want to get picked."

"Will, I had my... reasons," I say. I try not to divulge too many things about myself. I like to think that it keeps an air of mystery around me. Even though me and Cora were friends through the bad times, I never really told her, or Ridley, what was going on. They don't need to know, and I like being mysterious.

 **45 minutes later...**

"...Brooke Nash!" Suddenly my world fades. I hear applause.

"Come on up!" Bella says. My friends push me towards the stage, and my legs start moving, against my will. Before I know it, I'm on the stage.

 _Kai Presley -18- -D4- POV_

A girl walks up onto the stage. She has pretty reddish-brown hair, and blue eyes. What was her name? It doesn't matter. She'll end up dying soon. I feel sorry for her. She reminds me of Gailia. She had red hair. Admittedly, Galia's hair was much more red. A dark red. And so long and voluminous... Also, so much like the color of her blood as the sword entered her chest. She had volunteered for the Hunger Games last year. She had been killed by the District 5 Tribute, Tiffany. Stabbed in the chest during the Bloodbath. As if it wasn't bad enough watching her die on live TV, Tiffany had tortured her. After she stabbed Galia in the chest, Tiffany picked Gailia up, and took her into the forest. Then she made a show of torturing her, by cutting and stabbing, and... At least Tiffany wasn't paying attention, so that career from District 1 got her right after she slit Gailia's throat. I was forced to watch every sickening moment. I can't watch anyone else die.

Which is why I have to do what I'm going to do now.

"And the Male Tribute is-"

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout. Bella stops reading the slip in surprise. I walk up to the stage, trying project an air of confidence.

"What is your name, young man?" Bella asks.

"Kai Presley," I say, loudly, and what is hopefully confidently.

"And our Male Tribute from District 4 is Kai Presley!" Bella announces, in a voice all too happy for the occasion.

 **A/N: I already have three great Tributes, and I can't wait to see more! Special thanks to Hawkmaid for giving us the first full set of Tributes! Please keep submitting Tributes!**

 **Sponsor Points:**

 **Hawkmaid: 20**

 **ellodairyme: 10**

 **Tributes:**

 **D4M— Kai Presley -18-, by Hawkmaid.**

 **D4F — Brooke Nash -15-, by Hawkmaid.**

 **D7F — Aurora Dayton -17-, by ellodairyme.**

 **Thank you to all those who have submitted Tributes, and I look forward to seeing more Tributes!**


	4. District 12 Reapings

**A/N: Thank you to Annabeth Pie for the amazing Tributes! Keep sending your Tributes in, please!**

 _Abi Hendrix -14- -D12- POV_

"Wyatt! Wyatt!" I wave to Wyatt Fritz. He walks over, with a smile on his face. I can tell that he's really happy because his mismatched eyes - one sky blue, the other seaweed green - are lit up with true energy.

"Hi, Abi!" He says as he walks up to me.

"Hi, Wyatt!" I reply. "How are you?"

"As good as one can be on reaping day, I suppose," he says.

"Fair point."

"You look quite nice in that dress," He says.

"Oh, why thank you," I say, blushing. "You look nice in that suit too." I was wearing a dress that my Mother says brings out my eyes. It's a short green cocktail dress. Wyatt says that my eyes are a mix of hazel, blue, green, gray, and gold. His mismatched eyes are so pretty...

"Abi?" Wyatt snaps me back to reality. "You drifted off a bit."

"Oh, sorry," I say.

"It's fine. I like it when you do that," He says.

"Everybody, please get to their sections. The Reapings are about to begin!" Effie Trinket says from onstage.

"Well, good luck!" I say to Wyatt.

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" He shoots back.

I walk to the Female, 14, section, as Wyatt makes his way over to the Male, 14, section.

I stand in my section. I look around at the people waiting for the Reapings to begin. Maybe some of these girls would be my friends if I still went to school. And if I hadn't had a falling out with the only female friend I had ever had. I look over at the Female, 12, section. It's her first year in the Reaping. I hope that she doesn't get picked. She wouldn't win. And her little sister. If she got picked, Prim would be crushed. Having to watch her own sister die on live TV would be horrible. I do hope that Katniss doesn't get picked. I also wish that I hadn't fallen out with her. Now, every time she sees me, she either walks away or attacks me. I don't know why. Well, actually, I do know why. She doesn't like Wyatt. After I met him she kept saying that all I talked about was him. She never met him, so I guess it could be understandable why she didn't like me talking about somebody she had never met. It's not like I didn't try to introduce them, but she didn't want to meet him. I guess it's understandable, she wasn't interested in boys yet. She _was_ only nine. It's not like she attacked me, we just sort of stopped seeing each other, and then one day, she told me that with her mother and Prim, she just didn't have time for me.

"Let the Reapings begin!" Effie Trinket announces in a loud voice, from the top of the stage. Haymitch has come on stage while I was thinking.

"Ladies First!" She continues. "The Female Tribute from District 12 is... Helena Roster!"

My knees go weak. It's not my name, but I know whose name it is. Helena is the second richest girl in 12, apart from Madge, the mayor's daughter. She'll die in the first five minutes. And I'll be forced to watch it on live TV. She's always wearing these expensive dresses, she's never been in a fight, she doesn't hunt, she's not very strong, and she's always had enough to eat. I can't watch her die. I just can't.

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout. I wonder what I've done. As I once heard one girl, Suzzane, say, out here, the word Tribute is synonymous with corpse. I start to walk towards the stage, in what I hope is a confident manner. I make it up to the stage where I shake hands with Effie, she introduces me, and I stand next to her, waiting for the Male Tribute to be reaped. I just hope it's not Wyatt. It won't be. What are the odds?

 _Wyatt Fritz -14- D12- POV._

I stare in shock at the stage. _Abi!_ How could Abi volunteer? I was shocked for a few seconds, but then I realized how. Or more accurately, why. Helena Roster, the girl who had been Reaped, was rich. She would get killed within the first five minutes. Abi always put other people first. Even if it meant her own death.

Shoot! Should I volunteer? No. Abi would want me to live. On the other hand, I don't want to watch her die... No. She wouldn't want to have to kill me, and I could never kill her. She would want me to stay alive. I wonder what unfortunate boy will get Reaped. Who knows, maybe he'll fall in love with her, and protect her until she wins when she'll kill him. Who am I kidding? She could, and probably will win all by herself.

"And the Male Tribute from District 12 is... Wyatt Fritz! Come on up!" Effie announces. I feel faint. How does she always manage to stay so happy? Is it that she enjoys the wholesale slaughter of children? No, probably not. The Capitol probably makes her put on that persona. They can't exactly have her say, "The unfortunate child who will be subjected to vicious child murder is...", now can they. Then again, she is a Capitol citizen, so...Before I know it, I'm on the stage. Effie introduces us both again, and the mayor reads the Treaty of Treason. Then he motions for me and Abi to shake hands. I move to shake her hand, and as our hands touch, I break down crying. So does she. We collapse into each other's arms, bawling our eyes out.

 **A/N: I hope you liked that! These great Tributes, along with their great relationship, was provided to me by Annabeth Pie! Give Annabeth Pie a big hand for cooking up some wonderful Tributes! This will be entertaining! Remember, I always like constructive criticism, so feel free to leave a review! Also, don't forget to start sending in your Tributes! Our lines are open, so to speak! Also, thanks to Suzzane Collins for the Tribute is a corpse quote and another fanfic author who I don't remember for "the wholesale slaughter of children"!**

 **Sponser points:**

 **ellodairyme: 10**

 **Hawkmaid: 20**

 **Annabeth Pie: 20**

 **Tributes:**

 **Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **Aurora Dayton, 17, by** ellodairyme

 **Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid**

 **Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid**

 **Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **5/24 submitted! Let's keep the submissions rolling, and thank you to everybody who has submitted a Tribute!**


	5. D12 and 4 Justice Building Scenes

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter and don't forget to keep submitting Tributes!**

 _Abi Hendrix -14- -D12- POV_

I fall into Wyatt's arms, as he falls into mine. We're both sobbing until Effie pulls us apart. I see two Peacekeepers standing behind each of us, presumably there to pry us apart if Effie failed to.

"Now, now, there's no need to cry! The Games are a festivity! Now..." The next feel few minutes feel like a blur, as we are escorted to the Justice Building. Suddenly, my Mom, Cassidy, and my brother, Thomas, are standing in front of me. My sister, Liliana, is standing next to my brother, although since she's only two, she's not so much standing in front of me as below me.

"Abi..." My Mother says as she embraces me. I return the hug, and as we part she asks, "Why? Just why? Why did you do it? Was it for that Helena girl? Why do you always put other people before yourself?"

"Because of that Helena girl, because of that Helena girl, yes, and it's just who I am," I say with a smile, trying to hide my tears. "Look on the bright side, Mom. If I win, we might finally have enough money to pay for Liliana's cancer treatments! She might finally be able to go to a good doctor!" I say, trying to comfort my Mother.

"You're right, you're right," she says. "But, if you win, _if,_ what will that mean? You'll have killed at least 3 people, if not more. You could be injured. You could be dead. You have a what, one in 24 chance of winning? I don't want to see you die on Live TV!" She breaks down into tears again. I hug her until she stops crying.

"It's alright Mom, I'll be alright," I say, knowing in my heart that I can't make good on my promise.

 _Wyatt Fritz -14- -D12- POV_

After the Peacekeepers take us into the Justice Building, I wait for my visitors. A few minutes later, the mayor, his daughter, and his wife walk in. Or, I guess I should say, My Uncle, Cousin, and Aunt.

"I'm sorry I was late Wyatt, I had official business to talk care of," My Uncle says.

"It's alright, I get it," I say.

"Will, I have to go," he says. "Good luck and I'm sorry." We shake hands, and he leaves.

"I'm so sorry, Wyatt, but I'm afraid I must be leaving too," My aunt Susan says. She gives me a hug and walks out, stifling tears.

"I guess it's just us," Madge says.

"I'm surprised you here. Did your parents give you choice?" I say.

"Yes, they did. I wanted to see you." She said. "Look, before you say anything, I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying that your loyalty was misplaced. I understand what it feels like. But, I did tell you that your loyalty would get you killed, and I think that I'm right. You're not going to be able to kill her, are you? You two are going to make some sort of alliance, and you'll get killed trying to protect her, or she'll kill you. You'll either end up like Casper Jekkins, who died protecting that 12-year-old girl from 8 or like Deven from last year. You'll end up dead, and I'll have to watch." She pauses.

"Are you done now?" I ask.

"Yes, yes I am," Madge says. "Actually, just one more thing. I love you."

"I love you too," I say, and we hug.

"I'm sorry that I'm going to have to watch you die," Madge says. "But, at least when that sword runs through your gut, you're last thought will be 'Madge was right.'. Also, if you could say that before you die, that would be great. Mention my full name, please."

"Of course," I say, with a smile. That's Madge Selfishsee, right?"

"Yup, Wyatt Crazyitz." We hug again, and she leaves, with another exchange of "I love you"'s.

As she leaves, I wish that my Mother and brother could be there. Sadly, my mother Chyerl, and my brother Ethan still live in District 4. I volunteered to leave them and move in with my uncle and aunt so that my mother could afford to support herself and Ethan. They couldn't come and visit on such short notice. I know why. Oh well. I find a chair and sit back in it.

 _Brooke Nash -15- -D4- POV_

I'm surprised that a boy volunteered. This being 4, sometimes we get careers, but I know who they are. I don't know this kid. I wonder why he volunteered. I'll find out on the train. We are taken into custody by two peacekeepers each and marched to the Justice Building.

My father, grandfather, and sisters come in. My brother can't make it, because he's still in jail for stealing bread.

"Hi, Brooke," He says. "I'm sorry. I have to go. You shouldn't be weakened by your family now." He leaves before I can get in a word. My grandfather comes up to me.

"I was right! I was right! The Capitol is conspiring against us! They picked you! They want my whole family to die! Next year it'll be Clara! Then Adriana! Then they'll find something to lock your father up for, and then they'll try to whip me to death!" He collapses into my arms, crying. I pat him on his back.

"It's alright, it's alright," I say, comfortingly.

"I don't want to watch you die," he whispers to me.

"You don't have to, Grandpa. You can pretend to be sick," I say.

"Or maybe I'll just die before you," he says.

"Don't say that, Grandpa, don't say that," I whisper back to him.

"I hope I do, because I hope you win," He says, straightening up and raising his voice for the last part. "Well, I'm going to leave you and your sisters to say goodbye."

"Thanks, Grandpa," I say, as he leaves. I'm glad that he left before he had another one of his episodes. His paranoia comes and goes in waves. Sometimes, he's good, and sometimes he acts like a crazy person. Or maybe he feels paranoid all the time and just hides it sometimes.

Clara and Adrina, my younger twin sisters, walk up to me, with tears in their eyes. "Brooke! We're so sorry!" They say in unison. They do that sometimes. They're identical, both 12, with blonde long hair. They probably got their hair from my mother. My father and grandfather both have reddish-brown hair, as does my brother, and me.

"I love you! I don't want to see her die!" Clara said. She hugged me and burst into tears. Adrina walked up to me and wordlessly hugged me.

As she pulled away, she said, "I'm sorry, Brooke. I don't want to watch you die. I think you can win though. You've been training, right? I think you might be able to pull off a victory. All you need is to find an ally, and then use them until they're no longer useful. Then you can kill them, and..."

"Adrina, I don't need your strategy tips, I think that I can figure it out myself," I said. "Thanks for the help, though."

By this time Clara had pulled herself together. "Brooke... Brooke... I don't know what to say. I just want you to know that I love you, and I'm sorry."

"I love you, Brooke. I hope you win. May the odds be ever in your favor!" Adrina says as she and Clara walk out.

Just as I think I'm done, Cora and Tidal walk in, arm-in-arm. Cora comes up to me and hugs me, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Brooke. It should have been me. If only they had picked you next year..." She says.

"It's alright Cora, I know that there's nothing you could've done. Maybe, if I die, next year, you can win for me," I say.

"Will, they tell us we don't have much time, but before you go, I wanted to give you a parting gift," she says. "Tidal?" Before I know it, Tidal swoops me into a deep, passionate kiss. We must kiss for a whole 15 seconds before he lets me go.

"Uh... Uh... Than-" I try to say before I'm interrupted by Cora.

"Good luck Brooke! May the odds be ever in your favor! Tidal, let's go," Cora says. They leave just as they entered, arm-in-arm.

"May the odds be ever in your favor." Heh. Well, so far, they weren't very reliable.

 _Kai Presley -18- -D4- POV_

After we're taken into the Justice Building, they tell me that my family and friends have been notified. Hah. "Your family has been notified." All that family I have. All of the zero people biologically related to me that are still alive. I sit alone in my room until two Peacekeepers come in to escort me to the train.

 **A/N: Thanks everybody for all the wonderful Tributes! Keep submitting your Tributes!**

 **Sponsor points:**

 **ellodairyme: 20**

 **Hawkmaid: 20**

 **Annabeth Pie: 20  
**

 **SparrowBirdEliza: 20**

 **Anna: 10**


	6. D7 Reapings

**A/N: Sorry if the last chapter was low quality, I was really tired, and in retrospect probably shouldn't have been writing. Anyway, thanks to Anna and ellodairyme for the wonderful Tributes featured in this chapter! Keep submitting your Tributes! Anyways, on with the story!**

 _Aurora Dayton -17-–D7- POV_

I zip up my light blue dress, which my father says compliments my eyes, and pull my hair back into my trademark ponytail. I put my blue ribbon, a gift from my mother, in it and step outside of my bedroom to the living room where my father is waiting.

"Hi, Honey," he says. "I got you something. Just let me go get it..." He trails off as he starts to hunt around the living room. He produces a box from under the couch with a flourish and hands it to me. I open it. Inside are a pair of light blue earrings.

"Thank you, Dad!l I say, as I begin to put them on.

"I know you said that you wanted those Voleen earrings, so I thought that they'd make a nice Reaping day present! He says. The earrings aren't Voleen, but they're close. I know he tried. He never quite manages to get things right, but he always tries to do nice things.

"Ready, Dad?" I ask.

'Yup, let's go!" He says.

 _Cyder Lamentain -17- -D7- POV_

I put on my suit jacket, and head out to the living room, where my mother and siblings were waiting.

"Are you ready, Cyder?" My mother, Ella, asks me. Or, I should say, my adoptive mother, Ella, said. My adoptive father, Spruce, wasn't there, because he was already at the Reaping. He had to be, being the mayor.

"Yup, you?" I reply.

"Wait! I forget my cufflinks," My brother, Cedar, says. He runs back into his bedroom and emerges with his cufflinks.

"Ready, Cypress?" I ask my little sister, Cypress.

"Yup," she says.

 **45 minutes later...**

 _Aurora Dayton -17-–D7- POV_

As I leave my father at the edge of the Tribute area, I run into my friend, Sophia.

"Hi, Aurora!" Sophia says!

"Hi, Sophia!" I say.

"I hope you don't get picked in the Reaping today! Because if you do, you'll probably die, and I don't want to see that. I mean, all things being equal, you have a 1 in 24 chance of winning. And those careers will kill you easily!" Sophia says.

"I hope you don't get picked too, and if you do, I'm sure you'll win too!" I say, sarcastically.

"Sorry. Good luck!" She says and walks over to the Female, 16, section. I start to head over to the Female, 17, section. As I walk, I wave to some of the people I know from my work as a lumberjack, including Cyder Lamentain. I don't have many friends, besides Sophia. The only other people I know are the people who work with me. I guess you could call them work friends. Before I can get to my section, a boy cuts me off. I recognize him vaguely. I've seen him around the District, but I don't know his name. Since I dropped out of school, I don't really know who's who.

"Aurora! I wanted to... I wanted to ask you... if... if we survive the Reaping... if... if you would go out with me?" He says.

"What's your name?" I ask. When I let him down, I want to at least call him by name.

"Jackson," he says.

"Jackson, I'm sorry, but I can't. With my job and my father, I just don't have time for a boyfriend. I'm sure you're a very nice boy, though," I say. "How old are you, anyway?"

"14," He says, sadly.

"You're a little young for me, aren't you?" I ask. "You're a very handsome fourteen-year-old, though."

"I guess. Thanks. And thanks for letting me down easy, Aurora," he says.

"You're welcome. Now you should head over to your section. May the odds be in your favor!" I tell him, having to shout the last part as he has already started walking away. I head towards my section, waiting for the Reapings to begin.

 _Cyder Lamentain -17- -D7- POV_

As I leave Ella and Cypress in the non-Tribute section, I walk my brother to his section. After he gets there, I run into her. Juniper. Juniper Aysitera. The prettiest girl in the world. She has long, dirty blonde hair, that reaches mostly down her back. She wears it in a ponytail when she works, but when she goes out socially, she has it in a braid or braids. Or a bun. Or a ponytail. She's wearing a blue dress. I don't see her in a dress often enough. It's slightly low cut. Moderate maybe. Normally she wears a shirt and shorts or pants. She looks beautiful in anything. A dress, or her normal work wardrobe. She works with me as a lumberjack in the forest. She has brown eyes. She also has a personality very much like mine. She's so sweet and caring. She works as a lumberjack to provide for her younger siblings, Willow and Marlo. She is so sweet and dedicated. Today her hair is in a bun. It makes sense since this is a formal occasion.

"Cyder! Hi!" Juniper says.

"Juniper! Hi!" I say, blushing.

"How are you doing?" She asks.

"Good, you?" I reply.

"Good. Worried about the Reaping?" She asks.

"Yeah. More worried that Cedar will get picked than anything," I say.

"I get it. I'm worried that Willow will get picked. I think I'll volunteer if she does," she says.

"Yeah. If Cedar gets picked, I think I'll volunteer too," I say.

"That's so nice. Good luck!" She hugs me and pecks me on the cheek before she leaves.

I'm so happy that she hugged me that I almost forget to wish her good luck. Almost. "Good luck, Juniper!"

As I walk towards my section I think about how I'm glad that Cypress isn't old enough to be reaped yet. Every year since Cedar has been old enough to be reaped, I've been so worried. Worried that he might get picked. I've made a promise to myself, that I haven't told anyone else, that if Cedar gets Reaped, I'll volunteer in his place. I guess that next year, Cypress might be Reaped. I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I guess I would probably volunteer, so I could protect her. Oh well. I just hope that neither of them gets Reaped. Esspacily after I turn nineteen. I at least want to be able to protect them. Never mind. I shouldn't think about that, though. Cedar doesn't have to enter any Tessera, so he's only in the bowl 3 times. Either way, if he gets picked this year or the next, which he won't, I'll volunteer for him. He won't get picked, though.

I see a girl I know from the forest, Aurora Dayton, waving at me. I wave back at her. As I get to my section, I see some boy walk up to her. Probably another kid wanting to ask her out. It never ends well for them. I stand in my section, waiting for the Reaping to begin.

 _Aurora Dayton -17-–D7- POV_

Roz Grammer stands on stage. She's the Escort for District Seven. She walks up to the mike.

"How is District 7?" She asks, in a loud, party voice. She does this every year. I don't know why.

"Good," I and the crowd say, weakly.

"Come on District Seven, make some noise!" Roz says.

"We're great! District Seven is the best!" The crowd shouts. Nobody likes this, but everybody does it. Maybe we should be more like those District 12 people. They never clap or do anything for their Escort, Effie Trinket.

"Let's get this Reaping started!" Roz says. "Ladies first!" "The female Tribute from District Seven is..." She reaches into the bowl. I wonder what poor girl will be picked.

"And the Female Tribute is Aurora Dayton!"

I'm shocked. I start up to the stage, among pushing from my peers. So nice of them. They want to make sure the Capitol knows exactly who the new Tribute is. I wonder if anyone will volunteer for me. As soon as I wonder that, I answer my own question. No. Nobody knows me well enough to volunteer. Maybe Sophia, but I doubt she will. I don't except her too. I wouldn't either. Friendship is no reason to get oneself killed. I reach the stage, shake hands with Roz, and turn around to face the crowd. I spot my father in the circle of parents ringing the Tribute area. I see tears streaming down his face, and the guy next to him, who I've never seen before, patting him on the back. At that moment, I know that I have to come back to him. I will come back to him. I will not leave him alone. I will win, so I can come back to him. I also feel silent tears streaming down my cheeks. I have a steely determination in my heart.

 _Cyder Lamentain -17- -D7- POV_

The Female Tribute is Aurora! The girl who waved to me! I feel so sorry. I know her from the forest. She actually taught me how to chop trees. She looks sort of like Juniper. She also has dirty blonde hair. Aurora has blue eyes though. Ironically, they're both wearing blue dresses today. At least it wasn't Juniper or Willow. Then what would I do? I don't want to watch Juniper die. I don't want to watch Aurora die either, but if it was Juniper, it would be horrible. I don't think I could bear to lose her. What would life be like without her? I don't think I could live without her. I wonder what boy will get picked. I hope it's not Cedar. Or me.

"And now, for the Male Tribute from District Seven..." Roz reaches into the bowl and makes a show of unfolding the piece of paper she picked up.

"The Male Tribute from District Seven is Cyder Lamentain!" Roz says.

I walk towards the stage in shock, my legs moving without me directing them to. At least it wasn't Cedar. I guess I won't have to volunteer for Cedar. Or Cypress. I reach the stage and shake hands with Roz as she says my name again.

 **A/N: Thanks to ellodairyme and Anna for the amazing Tributes! Keep submitting your Tributes!**

 **Sponsor points:**

 **ellodairyme: 20**

 **Hawkmaid: 20**

 **Annabeth Pie: 20  
**

 **SparrowBirdEliza: 20**

 **RandomTeenGirl: 20**

 **Anna: 10**

 **Tributes:**

 **Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme**

 **Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid**

 **Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna**

 **Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid**

 **Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme**

 **Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **11/24 submitted! Keep sending in your Tributes! I hope you liked this Chapter! Next up are the D2 Reapings!**


	7. D2 Reapings

**A/N: These wonderful Tributes are courtesy of SparrowBirdEliza! I hope you like this Chapter, and keep submitting your Tributes!**

 _Lilly Cross -17- -D2- POV_

I put my leather jacket on, over my brown shirt. I walk into my living room, where my father is waiting.

"Are you ready yet?" He asks in his gruff voice.

"Yes," I reply.

"And you're going to volunteer, right? Because you'll be sorry if you don't," he says. When he heard that BlueClaw Academy had recommended that I volunteer for the Games this year, he had told me that if I didn't, I would wish that I had died in the Games. He wants the victory money. I remember that I've forgotten something. I run into my room, grab a flower, and place it into my hair.

 _Arc Woods -18- -D2- POV_

I pull my leather jacket over my white shirt. I check my jeans. Ripped a little bit, just like I want them. People might describe me as a 'bad boy', although I'm not. I dress like it because people, especially girls, like it.

I walk into my living room and see my mother and father waiting there.

"Are you ready, Arc?" My father, Syria asks.

"Yes, I am," I say.

"I don't want you to volunteer, but if you get Reaped, or if you do, remember this: Hiding is your best strategy. Hide, but get into a fight often enough that you're interesting enough so that the Gamemakers don't kill you off. Okay?" My father says. He had won a previous Hunger Games, so he knew some strategy.

"Thanks, Dad," I say.

"Don't volunteer, honey, please, don't," my mother, Mina says.

"I won't," I say. "Don't worry."

 _Lilly Cross -17- -D2- POV_

I walk to my section of the Tribute area and stand there waiting for Caity Crane to start the Reaping. As she walks onto the stage, the mayor comes up to her and whispers something into her ear. She laughs and then turns to the microphone.

"Okay, it's that time of year again! Time for the District 2 Reapings! As always, Ladies first !" Caity says. " The Female Tribute from District 2 is-"

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout. I walk up to the stage, confidently.

"And what is your name?" Caity asks.

"Lilly Cross," I say.

"The Female Tribute from District 2 is Lilly Cross!"

 _Arc Woods -18- -D2- POV_

After I leave my mother and father at the edge of the Tribute area, I see my friend Kris Todd. I walk over to him.

"Hi, Kris," I say.

"Hey, Arc," he says. "Going to volunteer?" He asks.

"No. My parents don't want me to. The Academy thinks I should, but my parent's don't want me too, so I probably won't," I say.

"Okay. Probably, huh?" He asks.

"You can never be certain," I say. "Will, I should be going. Good luck!"

"Good luck!" He shouts back as we walk to our areas. He's a year younger than me, so he's in the Male, 17, area. I'm actually almost nineteen. If I was born a few days earlier, I wouldn't be in the Reaping this year. I stand in my section and wait for the Female Tribute to be called. A girl called Lilly Cross volunteers, not surprisingly. I knew that BlueClaw recommended her to volunteer, so I'm not surprised that she did. I wait for the Male Tribute to be called.

"The Male Tribute from District 2 is... Kris Todd!" Caity says. Shoot. Kris. He's not ready. He hasn't gone to the Academy. I know what I have to do. I might have done it anyway.

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout. I walk up to the stage, and Caity asks my name. I tell her, and we shake hands.

"The Male Tribute from District 2 is Arc Woods!"

 **A/N: Sorry this Chapter was so short. These Tributes will certainly get more interesting as time goes on. They just don't have much to do at home, being careers without many friends. Soon they will have lots to do! Thanks to SparrowBirdEliza for the wonderful Tributes! Keep submitting your Tributes!  
**

 **Sponsor points:**

 **ellodairyme: 20**

 **Hawkmaid: 20**

 **Annabeth Pie: 20  
**

 **SparrowBirdEliza: 20**

 **RandomTeenGirl: 20**

 **Anna: 10**

 **Tyquavis: 10**

 **Tributes:**

 **Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme**

 **Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid**

 **Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna**

 **Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid**

 **Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis**

 **Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme**

 **Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **12/24 submitted! Keep submitting your Tributes!**


	8. D8 Reapings

**A/N: Thanks to Tyquavis and Swoozelzz for the wonderful Tributes! Keep submitting your wonderful Tributes!**

 _Twyler Onzui -16- -D8- POV_

I zip up my blue dress and put on my earrings. I walk into the living room. It's not really mine, I'm living with my best friend Calico. We have adjoining bedrooms. With a door between them. A door that doesn't have a lock. A door that I don't dream of pushing open in the night. I don't know every step from my bed to his bed by heart. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Totally.

"Ready to go, Twyler?" Calico asks. He's very handsome, with long brown hair in braids, tanned skin, and dark, deep brown eyes. He exercises a lot, so he's got a lot of muscles and... "Twyler?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm ready to go," I say, blushing slightly. I don't know why I always blush when I see him. We've lived together for eight years. I was an orphan for the first eight years of my life, and eight years ago, Calico's family adopted me. Ever since I turned 12, I've started to blush when I see him.

"Well, then, let's head out," Calico says.

 _Kaine Thomason -14- -D8- POV_

I put on my suit jacket and walk into the living room of my aunt and uncle's house. I've been living with them since I was seven, and my parents were killed. Of course, if the Peacekeepers found out that some of the stuff I paint is mine, I'd be joining them. For the same reasons, ironically.

"You know, Kaine, even though I'm the girl, somehow I manage to get ready before you," My cousin, Mara, says.

"I know, I know, I take forever to get ready, now let's go," I say.

"Okay, okay," Mara says.

 **45 minutes later...**

 _Twyler Onzui -16- -D8- POV_

"Will, I guess that this is where we leave each other," I say to Calico.

"I guess. Good luck, Twyler!" Calico says.

"Good luck Calico!" I say. I walk over to the Female, 16, section, as Calico heads to the Male, 16, section. As I walk to my section, I think about my parents. I've never known them. I wonder what they were like. And why they put me up for adoption. Did they not want me? Were they too young to have a kid? Did they die? If so, did the Capitol execute them, or were they murdered in some random act of violence? I'll probably never know. The only people who know are them and, maybe, the Capitol. Oh well. Time for the Reapings! Tiffany Teller is walking up on stage. Soon she'll pick some poor girl and boy to die. There have only been 4 documented victors from District 11, over seventy Hunger Games. That means that whoever gets picked will probably die. I feel so sorry for the poor children who get picked.

"Time to start the Reapings!" Tiffany says. "Ladies first!" "The Female Tribute from District 8 is..."

"Twyler Onzui!"

 _Kaine Thomason-14- -D8- POV_

"I wonder who'll get picked," I comment ideally to my cousins, Mara, and Arthur.

"Probably some of those really poor people," Arthur says.

"I'm glad we don't have to enter for any Tessera," Mara says.

"Me too," I say. "Your name is only in the bowl twice this year. You're lucky."

"Not that the odds are generally very reliable," Mara says. "Remeber that year a District 1 12 year old got picked?"

"Fair point," I say.

We walk to our respective sections. Some girl called Twyler is called. I feel sorry for her. She's dead. And probably quickly, too. I wonder who the Male Tribute will be. I just hope it's not Arthur. At least the Female wasn't Mara.

"The Male Tribute from District 8 is Kaine Thomason!"

 **A/N: I hope you liked this Chapter, even if it was short. Next up are the D1 reapings, then the Justice Building scenes for all the Districts that don't have them yet.**

 **Sponsor points:**

 **ellodairyme: 20**

 **Hawkmaid: 20**

 **Annabeth Pie: 20**

 **SparrowBirdEliza: 20**

 **RandomTeenGirl: 20**

 **Tyquavis: 20**

 **Professor R.J Lupin1: 20**

 **Swoozelzz: 20**

 **Anna: 10**

 **Tributes:**

 **Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1**

 **Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme**

 **Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid**

 **Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna**

 **Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid**

 **Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis**

 **Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz**

 **Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1**

 **Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme**

 **Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis**

 **Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz**

 **Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **17/24 submitted! Keep submitting your Tributes!**


	9. D1 Reapings

**A/N: Thanks to Swoozelzz and Tyquavis for the amazing Tributes! Keep submitting your Tributes!**

 _Satin Hermes -18- -D1- POV_

I walk out into my living room. I'm in practical clothes, a leather jacket, white t-shirt, and brown pants that match my jacket. The people who don't want to get Reaped tend to wear fancy clothes, probably trying to show off. I'm going to volunteer, so I'm wearing something practical.

"Ready to go, Satin?" My Dad asks me.

"Yup, Dad. Shouldn't you be going?" I ask. He's the mayor, so he should be at the Reaping early.

"You're right. I'll head out now. Why don't you stay and go with your Mother, when she's ready?" My dad says.

"Sure, sounds good! Looking forward to the Reaping!" I say as he walks out the door.

"Honey, where'd your Father go?" My Mother asks, from behind the closed door to her room. She's still getting ready for the Reaping Ceremony.

"He has to be at the Reaping early, Mom, remember?" I say.

"Oh, right," My Mother says. "How do I look?" She asks. She emerges clothed in a resplendent bright blue dress with glitter. She spins to show it off for me.

"Very... sparkly," I say. "Very nice, Mom, very nice!"

"Thanks! I guess we should head out then?"

 _Topaz Hazard -17- -D1- POV_

I walk into my living room. I'm wearing a t-shirt and brown pants. My sister Jade, my brother Emerald, and my other sister Opal are waiting for me. Jade and Opal are in matching blue cocktail dresses. I'm guessing that's what my Mother, Pearl, is wearing.

"Wow, Topaz, you _really_ put some thought and time into your look," Jade says.

"Thanks. You didn't expect me to wear a suit, did you? I'd be stuck in that thing all day, and a train ride long," I reply.

"Fair point," she says. "So, what do you think?" She asks.

"You and Opal look very nice. Does Opal really need a dress? She's only nine," I say.

"Yes, she does. Mom wanted the whole family to have matching outfits. I see you're not going on with the theme," she says.

"Will, I am the only one in the family who's going to go to the Hunger Games, so..." I say.

"Douche."

"Jerk."

"Children, we're coming out!" My Mom shouts. Her and my Dad emerge. She's, as excepted, wearing a blue cocktail dress, will my Dad, Onyx is wearing a gray suit that matches Emerald's. "How do we look?" She asks.

"Beautiful!" I and my siblings reply in unison.

"Ready to go?"

 _Satin Hermes -18- -D1- POV_

After I leave my Mom and Dad, I see my boyfriend, Midas, scanning the crowd. For me, presumably.

"Midas! Midas!" I shout, waving my arms.

"Satin!" He shouts as he makes his way over to me.

"Hi, babe," I say.

"Hi, honey," he says, as he kisses me, wrapping his arm around me. After he lets go, he says "Excited for your big day?" He asks

"I am!" I say. "I want to win. I think I can. And when I do, you can marry me, and we can have a great life!" I say.

"Marry you? Uh... Satin... There's something I have to sa-"

"Everybody to their places!" Gia O'Connell says.

"Bye, Satin!" He says as he walks away to his section. As I walk to my section, I wonder what he was going to say. Oh well. It doesn't matter.

"Ladies first!" Gia says."The Female Tribute from District 1 is..."

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout and walk confidently up to the stage. In my head I know I can win. I'll ally with the careers, kill all the other Tributes, and then kill the careers in their sleep. I will win.

"What's your name?" Gia asks.

"Satin Hermes," I say.

"The Female Tribute from District 1 is Satin Hermes!"

 _Topaz Hazard -17- -D1- POV_

I leave my Mother and Father, and see my siblings walking to their sections. I start to scan the crowd for someone. I wonder where she is...

"Hey!"

"Ah! Oh, hey Diamond!" I say. She surprised me. Maybe next year, she'll volunteer for the Games. Actually, I'm pretty sure she will. The Academy says she's one of their best. And, apparently, she's sneaky.

"Going to volunteer?" She asks me. "If so, you might want to work on your detection skills. If we were in the Games, you'd be dead."

"Yes, I am. And, yes, maybe I do," I say.

"Will, I wish you the best of luck," Diamond says.

"I don't need luck. I'm the best. The academy says so. And I'll win. I will bring glory and honor back to District 1!" I say. _And then I'll sweep you off your feet and marry you. And we'll be married victors. And we'll have children who'll be victors._

"Will, okay, if you're so confident, then I think you'll die," she says. "Good luck!" She shoots at me as she leaves.

"Thanks," I say, and walk to my section. I see the girl who volunteers as Tribute. She'll be an easy kill. We'll be allies, with the other careers, until we kill every last one of those lower District scum. Then I'll turn on her and the rest of the career pack and kill them all singlehandedly. Then I'll return home and marry Diamond.

"And the Male Tribute from District 1 is-"

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout and stride confidently up to the stage.

"The Male Tribute from District 1 is Topaz Hazard!"

 **A/N: Thanks to** **Swoozelzz and Tyquavis for the wonderful Tributes! Everybody, please, keep submitting your Tributes! Here's the list so far:**

D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis

D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz

D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza

D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza

D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme

D3F: Open

D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid

D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid

D5M: Reserved for District5Ravenclaw

D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D6M: Open

D6F: Reserved for abcdwfghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna

D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme

D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis

D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz

D9M: Open

D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl

D10M: Open

D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl

D11M: Open

D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie

D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie

 **Also, I won't do any more Sponsor points until the Games begin! May the odds be ever in your favor!**


	10. District 3 Reapings

**A/N: Thanks to ellodairyme and AlyssumBellgrove for the wonderful Tributes! Keep submitting your Tributes!**

 _Rianna Meade -16- -D3- POV_

I zip up my Reaping dress and walk into the living room. It's empty.

"Mom? Dad?" I shout. I see something on the coffee table next to the couch. It's a note. I read it.

 _Ri:_

 _We got a call from the Capitol. They want us to go to District 12 and help them with some problem they're having. Apparently something about a large of amount of some kind of bird gone wild. We should be back by tomorrow. Good luck with the Reaping!_

 _Love,_

 _Mom and Dad._

I start to cry. I wipe the tears off my face. _Pull yourself together, Ri_ , I think. It's fine. They're gone all the time. They're scientists, so the Capitol has them traveling all around Panem, all the time. I wish they were here. Sometimes, after the Reaping, we go out and do something fun. Oh well. I put on a brave face and head to the Reaping.

 _Titanium Sparks -18- -D3- POV_

I put on my suit jacket and walk into the living room where my Mom and Dad are waiting.

"Hi, guys," I say.

"Hi, honey," My mom says.

"Hi, son. Gonna make us proud today?" My father asks.

"Yup, Dad, I'm going to do what you never had enough courage to do," I say. Maybe that sounds a little harsh, but I say what I think.

"That's good. Let's head out, then," My dad says.

 _Rianna Meade -16- -D3- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping ceremony. I see a lot of kids chatting and laughing with their friends. I wish I could do that. Then again, I used to have friends, before... before it happened. It was-

 **5 years ago... A dark street in District 3.**

I'm walking down the street, on my way home from school. My parents are out on a trip, so I went out with my friends. We're getting home a little later than usual, but what my parents don't know doesn't hurt them, right? They say the streets are dangerous at night. They're silly. Nothing ever happens- I feel a strong hand grab my shoulder.

"Stop!" I hear a male voice from behind me. I turn around, surprised, right into the barrel of a pistol. I see a masked man holding the gun to my face. My friends stop, shocked. "All of you! Give me your backpacks! You, give me your necklace! Now! Or somebody dies!" He says. The girl with the necklace, Thea, struggles to take it off, as my friends give the man their backpacks. "You!" He's talking to me. "I said, give me your backpack, or somebody dies!" I struggle to get my backpack off. "Necklace girl, let's go!" Thea's still struggling to take off her necklace. He looks behind himself. He says a pair of Peacekeepers patrolling the street. "Oh, crap!" He says. "C'mon, girl, let's go!" The Peacekeepers are getting closer. Before I know it, he's pushed me to the ground. I scream. I hear a gunshot go off, and scream again, excepting my world to go black. It doesn't. I see Thea falling to the ground, a hole in her head. The man rips the necklace off her body as it falls, and runs away. The Peacekeepers look up and see the man. One of them calmly takes aim, and another gunshot goes off. The man falls to the ground. The other Peacekeeper runs up to me and helps me up.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" He asks. I don't respond. He and his companion ask me and my surviving friends, Nyota and Star, where we live. Then they walk us home, having a talk with each of our parents. I don't say a word the whole time. Nyota and Star are crying. I just walk along, shocked. When we reach my house, I thank the Peacekeepers, explaining that my parents aren't home. I go inside and flop down on the bed, finally letting all of my tears out. I fall asleep crying. The next morning, my parents return, and I tell them what happened. When I go to school that day, I head over to Nyota and Star at lunch. They just stare at me.

"How could you be so cold?" Nyota asks. "You watched Thea die, and you didn't do a thing! You weren't even crying, you heartless jerk! Get away from us!" I pick up my tray and walk away slowly, silently.

The gunshot. Thea's body falling. The man's body falling. The gunshot. Thea.

 **Back to the present...**

"Ri!" I wake up to see a girl from school, Teddy. "Ri! Are you alright? You look like you had another one of your episodes!" I realize that I'm laying on the ground of the District square and that Teddy is standing over me with her arm outstretched. I take it and she helps me up.

"Thanks," I say, as I see some of the boys from school snickering.

"Little PTSD girl. Such a sad sack, am I right? At least she gave us a nice view up that dress!" One of the boys, Todd, says, loud enough that I can hear him, and he knows it.

"It's no problem," Teddy says, then catches my glance towards Todd. "Oh, them? Don't worry about it. They're just jerks."

"You're right. Thanks, Teddy. Now, I guess we should get to our spots before the Reaping begins?" I say.

"You're right. I'm off to the 17 section, then," Teddy says.

"Okay, bye," I say. I walk to my section and do everything I can to avoid thinking about Thea. Luckily, I don't have to distract myself long, as the Reaping begins just a minute after I find my place.

"Okay people! Today, just like last year, we will choose two lucky Tributes to compete in this year's Hunger Games!" The announcer, Cinnamon, says. She does this every year. _Every. Single. Year._ I wonder what poor girl will get Reaped this time. Or maybe a career will volunteer. No, I remember that there was an announcement that this year, none of the academies had a single female who they thought was ready to volunteer. So I guess it's just luck of the draw, then.

"The Female Tribute from District 3 is... Rianna Meade!" My knees go weak. I start stumbling to the stage. I get up to the stage and shake hands with Cinnamon. Then I start to think about what I'll have to do. Kill someone. I think of the gong that starts the Games. I think of blood flying from people's wounds. I think of... I think of the gun. I think of the shot. I think of Thea's body. I collapse.

 _Titanium Sparks -18- -D3- POV_

I leave my parents at the edge of the square. I start towards my section, but I'm looking for someone. I see her. She sees me. I walk towards her. She walks towards me.

"Hi, Daizee," I say, once we're within talking distance.

"Hi, Ty," she says.

"You look very pretty today," I say. She does. She's wearing a floral print white dress. She has light brown, curly, hair. She wears it short.

"You look very handsome. Although, you do look better with fewer clothes on," she says.

"So do you," I reply.

"So, are you going to do it?" Daizee asks.

"Yes, yes, I am," I say.

"But, Ty, you know I don't want you to!" She says.

"I know, but I can win," I say.

"Okay, Mr. Victor. How about this? If you win, when you come back, you'll marry me?" She says. I think about this for a second. Marry Daizee? I've just sort of been using her, until... Until what? I'm not going to find a girl who loves me more than she does. Besides, she's pretty, and she's rich. I might as well.

"Why not?" I say.

"Yay! I love you!" She says, hugging me.

"I know," I say, as I make my way towards my section.

I see the girl who gets Reaped, some girl called Rianna. I see her fall down. I guess she'll be an easy kill. She'll probably die in the first five minutes. Actually, to prove myself to the careers, I could kill her myself. That sounds like a good idea. It's my turn!

"The Male Tribute from District 3 is..." As Cinnamon reaches into the glass bowl, I realize that now is my moment.

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout, already running up to the stage. I reach it in a matter of seconds and firmly shake Cinnamon's hand.

"The Male Tribute From District 3 is Titanium Sparks!"

 **A/N: I hope you liked this Chapter! I for one liked our wonderful (and wonderfully contrasting) Tributes! Please keep submitting your Tributes!**

 **Current Tributes:**

D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis

D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz

D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza

D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza

D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme

D3F: Rianna Meade, 16, by AlyssumBellgrove

D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid

D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid

D5M: Reserved for District5Ravenclaw

D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D6M: Reserved for abcdwfghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D6F: Lindsy Cutt, 13, by abcdwfghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna

D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme

D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis

D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz

D9M: Open

D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl

D10M: Open

D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl

D11M: Open

D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie

D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie


	11. District 6 Reapings

**A/N: I just got a new text editor, LibreOpenOffice, so the writing format has changed a little bit, so please bear with me! Thanks to abcsefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005 (I hope I got that right) for the amazing Tributes! Please, keep submitting your Tributes! The list will be at the end of this chapter! I hope you like this chapter!**

Heat Chapter 11

District 6 Reapings

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

I put on my Reaping clothes. I'm just wearing a t-shirt and pants. I could wear a dress. My parents would want me to, they gave it to me to wear at the Reaping, but I don't really care. It doesn't matter. Besides, if I do, when Edmund gets to me, he'll just make some joke about seeing up my dress, after he pushes me to the ground. I look at myself in the mirror. My shoulder length brown hair is down. I have bags under my eyes. I always do. I walk out into my living room. My parents are in my triplet brothers room, getting them ready. My parents and brothers emerge out of their room.

"Haley, you look very nice in your suit," my mother says.

"You always say that," Haley says.

"Jeremy, you're very handsome," my father says.

"You always say that!" Jeremy says.

"Oh, hi, Lindsay," my mom says.

"Hi, Mom," I say.

"Hi, honey," my dad says.

"Hi, Dad," I say.

"You look very-" My Dad stops mid-sentence and actually turns to look at me. "Where is your dress?"

"I decided not to wear it," I say.

"Okay," he says. "Everybody ready to go?"

The family responds with a chorus of "yes"'s.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

I put on my leather jacket over my t-shirt. I walk into my living room. My mother and father are waiting for me.

"Read to go, son?" My dad asks.

"Yup, let's go," I say.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

I reach the Reaping and leave my mother, father, and little brothers on the edge of the Reaping area. I start to walk to my section, but before I can get there, I run into Edmund and his goons, Tom and Otis.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

I reach the Reaping area and leave my parents at the edge. My friends, Tom and Otis come over to me.

"Hey, Edmund," Tom says.

"Hey, boss," Otis says. They're not the sharpest knives in the box, but they're loyal.

"Hi, guys," I say. "Have you found little depressed girl yet?"

"Yeah, she's over there, dude," Otis says.

"Okay," I say, "let's go."

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

"Hi, girly," Edmund says. "Happy yet?"

"You again?" I ask, sadly.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

"Me again," I say. I start to throw a punch.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

Edmund's punch collides with my face, knocking me back off my feet. I could probably keep my bearings if I wanted to, but I don't. I think of falling all the way to the ground, but I don't. One of Edmund's goons catches me. Edmund keeps punching me. I think that he says something. I don't know what it is. I don't listen anymore. Punch after punch connects with my face and chest. I hear a crack and my nose flares with pain.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

My punch collides with Lindsay's face. The girl is so weak. She never fights back. She used to try, but she doesn't anymore. Now she just cries. She bursts out into tears as my second punch collides with her face.  
"Fight back!" I shout. She doesn't respond. She never does. She's being held up by Otis. I punch her again, then I use my other hand to throw a punch at her chest. She's so weak. She's getting what she deserves. If she won't even try to stop it, she deserves every punch. "Fight back!" No response. I unleash a savage punch at her face. I hear her nose crack. I tend to break her nose once a week. Generally, as soon as it's healed, I break it. She never fights back. If she did I might stop. She probably wouldn't be able to make me, so I wouldn't, but I wish she would try. I see blood start to sprout from her nose. Yes! For the next three minutes, I just keep punching her, until her face is bloodied. I wouldn't have stopped, but the escort for District 6, Chocolate, tells everybody to get to their places, so I have to stop. Otis lets her go, and she falls to the ground, sobbing and bloody.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

After what feels like forever, Edmund's punches finally stop hitting me, and his goon drops me the ground. They walk away, and I lay there, sobbing. I have no intention of getting up, but two Peacekeepers grab me under the shoulders and take me to my section. I try to pay attention as Chocolate starts the Reaping. Maybe I should volunteer. I don't want to live, and it would get me away from Edmund. This could finally all end. I don't care who gets picked. I just want this to be over.

"The Female Tribute from District 6 is… Lindsay Cutt!" Chocolate says. I'm surprised. A little bit. But also, not surprised. It's what I deserve. Finally, it'll all be over. I'll be away from Edmund, and I'll finally get to end all of this misery. Maybe I'll just stand there when the gong sounds. Stand there, and wait for someone to kill me. I walk up to the stage and survey District 6, my home. The place where I'd lived my whole life. All my misery is there. At least I'll get a shower, clean clothes, and a few days away from Edmund before my suffering finally ends. I take my place next to Chocolate on the stage.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

I walk to my section, along with Tom and Otis. I stand there and wait for the Reaping to start. I see Lindsay get reaped. Ha! That little thing will die in the first minute! I wonder who the male Tribute will be.

"The Male Tribute from District 6 is… Edmund Caden!" Chocolate says. I frown. Then I walk up to the stage, trying to appear confident. In reality, I'm scared. I'm good. But maybe I'm not good enough. No, I am good enough. I'll win. My first kill will be Lindsay. Maybe I can get into the career pack. Hmm… Before I know it, I'm at the stage and shake hands with Chocolate.

"The Tributes from District 6 are Lindsay Cutt and Edmund Caden!"

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Also, please tell me what you thought of the transitions in the "fight" scene. T** **hanks to abcsefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005 for the wonderful Tributes!** **Please keep submitting your great Tributes!**

D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis

D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz

D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza

D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza

D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme

D3F: Rianna Meade, 16, by AlyssumBellgrove

D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid

D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid

D5M: Reserved for District5Ravenclaw

D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D6M: Edmund Caden, 15, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D6F: Lindsay Cutt, 13, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna

D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme

D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis

D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz

D9M: Open

D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl

D10M: Open

D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl

D11M: Open

D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie

D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie


	12. District 7, 2, and half of 8 goodbyes

****A/N: Keep submitting your Tributes! Thanks for all the wonderful Tributes that I have so far! Also, I only had time to get through half of District Eight, but the next half will be up soon! And yes, that is where Twyler's entry ends. :)****

 _ _Aurora Dayton -17- -D7- POV__

After the Reaping, I and Cyder are taken to the Justice Building. We are taken into separate rooms, and a Peacekeeper tells me that my family and friends have been notified. A few minutes later, my father, Joe, comes in.

"Hi Aurora," he says, fighting back tears.

"Hi Dad," I say.

"I'm so sorry, Pumpkin. I wish I could tell you it'll be alright," he says, wrapping me in a hug.

"It's fine, Dad. I'll win. I'll win for you," I say.

"I don't want... I don't want to see you... But I don't want you to... to do... to kill other people. But I don't want them to kill you, either," he says.

"I know Dad, I know. It'll be fine. I'll be alright," I wish that there was more I could say, but I don't know what to say.

He straightens up and wipes tears out of his eyes. "They said you don't have much time, and I know that your friend Sophia wants to talk to you. She'll be more helpful than I could be. Bye Aurora! Good luck! I love you!" He says.

"I love you too, Dad!" I say as he walks out of the room. Sophia walks in.

"Hi, Aurora," she says.

"Hi, Sophia," I say. She hugs me.

As we pull apart she says, "You should try to get your hands on an ax, but you'll need a ranged weapon if you want to do good. Maybe a bow and arrow. Don't go into the Bloodbath. You should try to-"

"I know, Sophia, I know. Look, I need you to promise me something. When I die-" I say.

"Look, Aurora, about what I said earlier, it wasn't-"

"No, you're right. I'm going to die. Most likely, at least. Even if everything was equal, I would only have a one in twenty-four chance of winning, and some of those careers would kill me in five seconds. I'll probably die. I'll try not to, but we have to prepare for the worst. Sophia, promise that when-"

"if"

"-if I die, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of my father. When my mom and little sister died, he had me to take care of, and that kept him going. I think that when -if- if I die, he'll just do what I did when my Mom died and shut down. I need you to take care of him. Okay, Sophia? Promise me. Promise me that you'll take care of him, make sure that he has enough to eat, that sort of stuff. Okay, Sophia?" I say.

"Of course I will, Aurora. I'll make sure he survives. But you should too. To that end, you should-" Sophia is cut off as the Peacekeepers enter the room to take her away. She struggles against them, but they start dragging her out of the room. "Good luck, Aurora! May the odds be ever in your favor!" Then she's gone. I sit down and wonder what I've just asked Sophia to do. None of us her in District Seven are rich, except for a select few. We've always had enough to eat, thanks to me and my father working. Sophia's family has also had enough to eat, but if they have to feed another mouth, they might not. I just hope that he doesn't shut down like I did when Mom and her baby died, or that if he does Sophia will be able to pull him out of it, like her and the other kids who worked with me did after my Mom died.

 **1 year ago, 3 months after Aurora's mother, Angela, died.**

 _Ding Dong! Ding Dong! Ding Dong! Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Dad, can you get that?" I say.

"Sure honey," he says. I'm laying on my bed in my room like I have every day since my Mom died. She was pregnant only six months before she went into labor, way too early, according to the doctor. There was nothing they could do. Both her and her unborn baby, a girl, died. "Aurora, honey, you should probably come out and look at this."

I get up out of my bed. I wonder what could be so important that he wants me to come to see. I walk to the door and see… I see all of the kids from the forest where I work chopping trees standing on my porch. Sophia's at the front, obviously the spokesperson of the group.

"Thanks, Mr. Dayton. You can go. We should talk to Aurora. Alone," she says.

"Okay, Sophia, I get. I'm leaving. And, Sophia, I've said before, and I'll say again, call me Joe," my Dad says as he walks away.

"Aurora, look. We've all decided to come here because you need to come back to work," Sophia says.

"Look, Sophia-" I start to say, but I'm interrupted by Sophia.

"No, you listen. Ever since your Mother died, you've been in a funk. For the first week, that was fine. We all thought you'd come out of it. Then, after two weeks, we thought that you'd come out of it next week. Do you remember that George kid who came to work just a day before your Mom died? For two weeks, he went without training. We all thought that you'd come back and train him. Eventually, we realized that you wouldn't, so I tried to train him. He almost brought a tree down on himself. If I hadn't tackled him out of the way, he would have been crushed. He still broke his foot. We had to go explain that to his parents. Since then, we've had two more kids come to work. I've tried to train them, including telling them which side of the tree to cut into, but they haven't been as good as the ones you've trained. Heck, I should know. You trained me. You've trained most of us. You're not just the best, you're the best teacher. Those two new kids, one of them lost a finger, and the other one almost brought a tree down on top of someone else. Look, we need you to come back. If that doesn't convince you, your Father's been working two jobs, trying to pay for your food and this house. You need to come back to work," Sophia finishes.

"Sophia… That was a great speech… but… Of course, I'll come back to work!" I say, and hug Sophia, crying.

I go back to work that day, and start to train the new kids, fixing some of the mistakes that Sophia and the others had made when they were training them. I keep working from that day forward. Until the day of the Reaping, that is.

 **Back to the present…**

 _Cyder Lamentian –17- -D7- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate Aurora and me, and we're taken into separate rooms. Almost immediately, my adoptive Father walks in. The Peacekeepers salute him and quickly walk out. He's followed by my adoptive Mother and my actual siblings.

"Cyder," my father says, "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go. I have to make a speech, and then be ready to send you off at the train station. I love you, son. Good luck!" He walks out of the room, leaving me alone with my Mom and my siblings.

"Cyder, I love you. I'm so sorry. I hope you win. I want to tell you-" My mother says, but suddenly stops. "Your father forgot his speech! I have to go give it to him! I'll be right back! I love you!" She says and runs out of the room.

"No she won't," my sister, Cypress, says. "She's going to have to follow him to the train station because he's already in the car."

"I know," I say, sadly. I know that Ella fully intends to come back, but she won't.

"I love you, Cyder. I'm sorry. Maybe you can-" Cypress breaks down crying, and I hold her in my arms.

"It's alright, Cypress. You'll be alright," I say.

"What about you?" Cypress asks.

"I can't promise that I'll be alright, but I'll try," I say.

"Look, Cyder, I've thought about this, and I think that the best way for you to win is to team up with your District partner. You know her, right? She works with you. You need to become allies. She'll help you. In training, you should work on your running endurance, and maybe your swimming skills. You should also figure out how to use a long range weapon. The other Tributes will know how to use one, so you should too. Okay?" My brother, Cedar says.

"Thanks, Cedar," I say. "You're always the smart one, coming up with plans like that."

"You're welcome, Cyder. I hope you win," Cedar says.

The door at the back of the room opens, and Juniper walks in. "Hi, Cyder," Juniper says.

"Hi, Juniper," I say. I feel a little nervous. I always get a little nervous when I'm around her. "Uh, guys, thanks for everything, but can Juniper and I be alone for a minute?"

"Sure, Cyder," Cedar says. "Cypress, let's go." Cypress extracts herself from my arms and turns with Cedar towards the door.

"We love you Cyder! Good luck!" Both Cedar and Cypress say, simultaneously. They leave the room, and Juniper walks up to me.

"Hi, Cyder," she says.

"Hi, Juniper."

"Didn't we just do this?" I ask.

"Yes, yes we did," she replies.

"Shouldn't we do something else?"

"Yes, yes we should," I say. We both laugh.

"Look, Cyder, I don't know anything about Games strategy or stuff like that, so I can't tell you any of that stuff. But, I do want to say something," Juniper says.

"Juniper-"

"No, Cyder, let me talk. I know we've been friends for a while, and… and… I don't know how to say this, so..." She kisses me. Her lips are so soft. Her arms wrap around me, and my arms wrap around her. Then she pulls away. "I love you, Cyder."

"I love you too, Juniper," I say, and pull her into a deep, passionate, kiss. We kiss until the Peacekeepers come to take her away.

"Good luck, Cyder, and I hope you win, for me!" She says. She breaks into tears as the Peacekeepers pull her out of the door. The last image that I see of her is her blowing me a kiss, having regained her composure. I remember her kiss. I sit there, in silence, replaying my and Juniper's last moments together, until the Peacekeepers come to collect me.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

The Peacekeepers take me to the Justice Building. They tell me that my family and friends will be there soon. A minute later, my father walks in.

"Good job, kid," he says. "Get me that victory money. I'm going to go get a drink," he says and walks out of the room. I sit alone, in silence, until the Peacekeepers come in again.

 _Arc Woods –18- -D2- POV_

I am taken to the Justice building. My Mother and Father work in.

"Son… I didn't want you to do this, but I understand why you did," my father says.

"Thanks, Dad," I say.

"Arcy, I love you," my mom says. "I understand why you volunteered. I know that Kris was your best friend. I hope you win. I know that the Academy and your Father have trained you will." She hugged me, then left, saying that I and my Dad should talk together about strategy. We had nothing more to talk about, so after a respectable period of time, he left too, and I sat alone.

 _Twyler Onuzi –16- -D8- POV_

I cry as the Peacekeepers take me and Kaine to the Justice Building, but I finally pull myself together before Calico walks in.

"Twyler…" Calico starts.

"Calico… Calico… I have something to say. I love you!" By this time Calico had walked over. I sweep him into a kiss. He seems surprised at first but then kisses me back.

After we separate, he says "Twyler… I guess I should have known, but… but… I never felt that way about you… but..." He kisses me again.

 **A/N: Keep submitting your Tributes, thanks for all the wonderful Tributes that I all ready have! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review, as I always enjoy constructive criticism.**

 **Tributes:**

D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis

D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz

D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza

D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza

D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme

D3F: Rianna Meade, 16, by AlyssumBellgrove

D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid

D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid

D5M: Open

D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D6M: Edmund Caden, 15, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D6F: Lindsay Cutt, 13, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna

D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme

D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis

D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz

D9M: Open

D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl

D10M: Reserved for Zacksteel

D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl

D11M: Open

D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie

D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie


	13. D8 Justice Building scene-the second 12

**A/N: Please, oh please, submit some more Tributes! I already have 20 wonderul Tributes, I only need 4 more! Thank you to all of the people who have already sumbitted Tributes!**

Heat Chapter 13

District 8 Justice Building, the second half.

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

I cry as I walk up to the stage. I barely manage to shake hands with Tiffany through the tears. Then the Peacekeepers take me and Twyler to the Justice Building. After they leave me in the room by myself, I manage to pull myself together before my family walks in the door.

"Oh, Kaine! I'm so sorry!" My aunt, Rae, says. "I love you!" She hugs me, and then pulls apart, and examines me at arm's length. "You've got a little something… right there..." She licks her finger and wipes something off of her face.

"Kaine… I don't know what to say. I love you. And at least you'll get to see your parents again soon," My uncle, Carter, says.

"Honey, what are you saying? No, I know what you're saying. How dare you say that! He could win!" Rae says. Then she slaps Carter.

"I'm sorry. But he _is_ going to die. I know he will. I don't want him to, but..." Carter trails off.

"Carter, I think that you should go. _Now._ " Rae says, her voice icy cold. Carter leaves the room. "I'm so sorry, honey. You won't die. I know you can win."

"Thanks, Aunt Rae," I say, "but be realistic. He's right. I might die. But I'll try my hardest to win."

"Just don't give up, Kaine. As long as you do that, you still stand a chance. Okay?" Rae says. "I'll let you and your cousins be alone." She walks out of the room.

"Bye, Aunt Rae!" I shout. "I love you!"

"Bye, Kaine! I love you too!" Aunt Rae shouts back as she walks through the door.

"Kaine… I'm sorry I didn't volunteer. I wish I could say that I wanted to, but my throat wouldn't work, but that would be a lie. I've failed you. I love you, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" My cousin, Arthur, says. He walks out of the room so fast that I can't even get out a word before he's gone.

"Kaine… I love you. I'm sorry that this happened. If I had known, I would have volunteered," my cousin Mara says.

"Now, now, Mara, don't say that," I say, hugging her. "I wouldn't want you to risk dying for me. You're so young-"

"I'm a year younger than you."

"You're right," I say. "I love you Mara."

"I love you too. I don't want you to die. And I don't want to watch it." Mara starts crying. I hold her until the Peacekeepers come again.

 **A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful Tributes I have so far! Keep submittong your Tributes! Tribute list:**

D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis

D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz

D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza

D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza

D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme

D3F: Rianna Meade, 16, by AlyssumBellgrove

D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid

D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid

D5M: Open

D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D6M: Edmund Caden, 15, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D6F: Lindsay Cutt, 13, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna

D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme

D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis

D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz

D9M: Open

D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl

D10M: Reserved for Zacksteel

D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl

D11M: Open

D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie

D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie


	14. District 9 Reapings

**Heat Chapter 14**

 **District 9 Reapings**

 **A/N: Thanks to santigo . poncini 20 (without the spaces, for some reason it wouldn't recongize it without them... I don't know why)** **and RandomTeenGirl for the wonderful Tributes! Please keep submitting your Tributes! We only need two more Tributes!  
**

 _Azalea Saffron –12- -D9- POV_

"No, Dad. I am _not_ wearing _that,"_ I point in disgust at the pink _thing_ on my bed."It's too… _pink."_

"But, Azalea, it'll make you look so pretty," my dad, Lucius, says. "I like it."

"Well, _I'm_ not wearing it," I say, indigently. My dad knows that I don't like pink things. I'm not a little girl.

"Fine, then. What will you wear?" He asks. He sounds like he's won the augment.

"I'll just wear this," I say, pulling a red dress out of my closet.

"Where did you get that?" My dad asks me.

"Flora gave it to me, Dad," I say. It's true. My cousin, Flora, did give me the dress. After I begged and pleaded with her because I knew that my Dad was going to make wear that _thing._ A dress. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that it was _pink._ I hate pink. My favorite color is red, which might make you think that I like pink, but I don't.

"Okay, then. You can wear _that,"_ he says. He says that like I did, but mockingly.

"Thanks, Dad," I say, hugging him.

"I'll leave while you get changed," he says.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blush, but there's nothing that I can do for your mother," Dr. Wilcox says. "I'm afraid that she's going to pass on. Very likely today. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

"But, Doctor Wilcox, there must be something-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but at this point, all that I can do is dull the pain." Dr. Wilcox says.

"It's alright, Sunnoria," I say, trying to calm her. "Look, you should sit down. Thank you, Doctor. I'm sorry we held you up. You really should be going now."

"Thank you, Mr. Blush. I'm sorry," Dr. Wilcox says, as he leaves the house. My sister, Sunnoria, sits down on the couch in shock.

"How can you say that? It's not alright. Mom is going to die. Die!" Sunnoria says.

"I know that, but we knew that for a while. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry, but you should rest. You don't want to end up like mom," I say. "I'm going to go talk to the Peacekeepers, tell them that you won't be there." I walk out of the house and find the nearest Peacekeeper.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- -D9- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping.

"Hi, Azalea!" My cousin, Flora says, as she runs up to me. "You look really pretty in that dress!"

"Thanks!" I say, twirling to show off the dress. "It's much prettier than the pink thing that my dad wanted me to wear. Thanks for loaning it to me!"

"Oh, please. What's so wrong with pink?" My other cousin, Willow, asks. "You're always complaining about pink this, pink that. What's so bad about pink?"

"It's just so… girly," I say.

"What's wrong with girly? You're a girl," Willow says.

"We always get into this argument," I say, "let's just forget it. You like pink, I don't. That's all there is to it." Willow clearly likes pink, from the pink ribbon in her hair, the pink dress she's wearing, and her pink high heels.

"You're right. Let's just forget it," she says and hugs me. "But pink is still the best color," she whispers in my ear.

"Hey, Azalea, why did you leave so fast?" My brother, Basil, asks me as he walks up.

"Because you were taking to long to get your fancy _suit_ on," I say, spitting the word suit with disgust.

"I earned that suit. I bought it with my money," Basil says, "that _I_ earned."  
"I know, you bought that with your money. Money that you didn't use to pay for food. Or clothing. Sorry, I take that back. You did spend it on food and clothing, but that food was for you, and just you, leaving me to take out 2 Tesserae, and that clothing was for you. And was it practical clothing? No. It was a fancy suit. You disgust me, Basil," I say.

"Look, Azalea, I know that you're feeling a little angry now, but with all the stress-"

"No, look. I've been wanting to say that for a long time. Every year, you use the money you get from your job for you, and leave it to Dad to support us. Will, this year, I can finally help him. Finally. He still has to work two jobs, but now he can afford to take a sick day every once in a while. But do you care? No. No, you don't. You see Dad working hard to provide for us, but you only think about you. You don't care about me, do you? No, no you don't. I hate you. You only look out for you. You know what, fine. Maybe I'll get Reaped. I don't expect you to volunteer. I don't expect you to even care. As soon as you can, you're going to move out, and you know what? I'll be happy when you do. Maybe then we can get a smaller place, so Dad won't have to pay as much. Not that you'll care either way. You'd be happy if we both starved. I'm going to have to get a job as soon as I turn thirteen. You'd rather have me starve, wouldn't you? That way, you don't have to hear me in the room next to you. Maybe you can turn into storage for all your suits. I hate you Basil, and I hope that I don't ever see you again!"

"Azalea-"

"Come on girls, let's go," I motion to my cousins. My friends Poppy, Rose, Sage, Violet, Clara, and Yarrow have shown up by now. Technically, Yarrow's a boy, but 'girls' sounds cooler. They all follow me away from a stunned Basil.

"Uh… Azalea?" Poppy asks.

"Yeah?"

"You alright there?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I ask.

"The way you yelled at your brother back there… It was brutal," Poppy says.

"Yeah, well, I've been holding that back for a good few years now. It feels good to get it off my chest," I say.

"Yeah, but all that stuff you said… That's pretty brutal. About not wanting to see him again, all that… I mean… Did you really mean that?" Poppy asks.

"Yes, I did. Why do you care so much anyway?" I ask.

"Because I care about you. We all do," Poppy says.

"Yeah, Azalea, you said some stuff that you can't unsay, and we just want to make sure that you're alright," Violet says.

"Yeah, well guys, thanks, but I'm fine. We should head to our sections now," I say.

"Okay, but I'm coming with you," Rose says.

"Me too," Violet says.

"Me three," Clara says. Those three are the only other girls who are twelve. Flora, Willow, Poppy, and Sage are all thirteen, and Yarrow's a boy.

"Hey, guys, what did I miss?" My other friend, Sorrel, walks up.

"Come on, the Reaping is about to start. I'll tell you on the way. It's a long story," Yarrow says. We all walk off to our sections.

"District Nine! Let's start this Reaping!" Saturn Mustang, District Nine escort, says. "Ladies first!" Saturn reaches into the glass bowl and makes a show of unfolding the piece of paper. "The Female Tribute from District Nine is… Azalea Saffron!" _Oh no,_ I think, _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I should move my legs. I'm walking towards the stage. I probably look completely terrified. I shouldn't look terrified._ I manage to put on a brave face as I walk up to the stage and shake hands with Saturn.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"And as you can see, Officer, Sunnoria here is in no position to attend the Reaping," I say to the Peacekeeper who now stands in my living room. You can just let them come to you, but that generally starts with them breaking your door down, so it's better to go get one and tell them that one of your family members won't be attending the Reaping.

"I see. And what about this one?" The Peacekeeper asks, pointing to my mother.

"Oh, I don't think that she'll be able to go either. She's been very sick recently," I say. The Peacekeeper walks over to her and places his hand on her neck. Then he glances at her chest. Then he freezes, and I suspect that he's checking something on his helmet display.

"Sir, I'm sorry to have to inform you of this fact, but your mother appears to be deceased. She's not breathing, and she doesn't have any pulse. I've contacted a coroner," The Peacekeeper says, in a flat voice, the same one they use to say everything. _No. Not yet. Just a minute._

"Oh… Uh… Thank you, Officer," I say.

"I'm sorry. You need to get to the Reaping now," The Peacekeeper says.

"Yes, Sir," I say, and walk out of the house. _Okay. Now._

 _Dem Blush –17- -D9- POV_

I'm outside of my house. I just left it. I'm here because… Oh right. Mom's dead. Oh no. I start to cry. I need to head to the Reaping. I know that much. I start to head to the Reaping.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

I'm at the Reaping. I don't know how I got here. Then I realize. Dem must have walked here. I walk to my section. The Reaping is about to start. I see who gets picked as the Female Tribute, a girl called Azalea Saffron. I wonder who'll get picked as Male-

 _Miller Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"The Male Tribute from District Nine is-" Saturn starts to read the name, but I cut her off.

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout and stride up to the stage.

"And what is your name?" Saturn asks.

"Mill- I mean, Angus Blush!" I say.

"The Tributes from District Nine are Azalea Saffron and Angus Blush!"

 **A/N: I hope you liked this Chapter and our wonderful Tributes! In case you didn't figure it out, the wonderful Angus Blush has Multiple Personality Disorder. Soon we'll get to find out what Angus thinks of Miller's brazenness. Also, please keep submitting your Tributes! I only need one more!**

 **Current Tributes:**

 **D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis**

 **D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz**

 **D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza**

 **D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme**

 **D3F: Rianna Meade, 16, by AlyssumBellgrove**

 **D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid**

 **D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid**

 **D5M: Open**

 **D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1**

 **D6M: Edmund Caden, 15, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005**

 **D6F: Lindsay Cutt, 13, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005**

 **D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna**

 **D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme**

 **D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis**

 **D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz**

 **D9M: Angus Blush, 17, by 20**

 **D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **D10M: Noah Jones, 17, Zacksteel**

 **D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl**

 **D11M: Reserved for PaxZola**

 **D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1**

 **D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie**

 **D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie**


	15. District 5 Reapings

**Chapter 15**

 **District 5 Reapings**

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

I look at myself in the mirror. I adjust one of my two braids, and my green eyes make contact with each other. I look down at my green dress. It looks nice. I walk out into my living room. My older siblings are already there, and as I come out, my youngest sibling, Kyler, comes out, with my mother, Willa.

"Hi, Sofie," My sister, Zia, says.

"Hi, Zia. You look nice," I say. She's wearing a blue dress.

"Thanks, you too," she says.

"Anybody care about me?" My brother, Rian, says, loudly. He says everything loudly. He's sort of like that.

"Yes, Rian, you look very nice too," I say.

"Why then you, Sofie," he says.

"And what about your little brother, Kyler?" My Mom asks. Kyler can't really talk, being only two.

"Yes, he looks very nice, Mom," I, Zia, Rian, my other sister Liarla, and my other brother, Zac, say in unison.

My brother, Markus, walks out. "A little late to the party, aren't you?" I say.

"I had to work on my school project," he says. "And I don't see Ana or Dad out here yet." At that moment, Dad walks out, carrying Ana.

"Why are little ones so hard to dress?" He says. "No more, Willa, no more, okay?"

"Yes, Miran, I know. No more," My Mom replies. "Now that we're all here, let's get going, shall we?"

"Yup," I say.

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

 _Bang! Wham!_

"Spire! You need to get dressed for the Reaping!" My Dad shouts from inside the house.

"I am dressed, Dad!" I shout back.

"You are not going to the Reaping all sweaty and in your workout clothes! Now come shower and put on this suit I got for you!" My mother shouts.

"Fine!" I shout and strike the training dummy one last time.

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping. I look for my friends, Sam and Abby, but I don't see them. I do see something else though. A boy with a fat pocket. I walk towards him and bump into him. My hand enters his pocket.

"Oh, sorry!" I say. "Clumsy me! I should look where I'm going!" I go through his wallet as he starts to pull away. Shoot! I'm not done yet.

"Oh, it's fine," he says. He's getting further away. Shoot! What am I going to do? I have a spark of insight. I kiss him and pull him towards me with my left arm as my right rifles through his pocket. _Got it!_ I think. I extract my hand from his pocket and let him go.

"Consider that payment for my clumsiness," I say, as I run away. I spot my friends and run towards them. _"_ Hi, Abby, Sam!" I say as I run up to my friends.

"Hi, Sofie!" Abby says.

"Hello, Sofie," Sam says.

"Oh, come on, baby. You can put more excitement into it than that," Abby says.

"You're right, babe. For you, I can," Sam says. "Hi, Sofie!"  
"See, that's better," Abby says.

"Hi, Sam. Abby," I say. "Excited about the Reaping?"

"Terrified, you?" Abby says.

"Terrified. Sam?" I say.

"Eh," he says.

"I see," I say.

"District 5! Everybody to their places!" Jupiter, the District 5 escort says.

"I should be going," I say.

"I'm coming with you," Abby says. "Bye, Sam," she says, and pulls him into a kiss, before letting him go. We walk over to our sections.

"Ladies first!" Jupiter says. "The Female Tribute from District Five is… Sofia Guinness!" I start to walk towards the stage, unsteady on my feet. I almost trip over my feet before I reach the stage, but I do eventually reach it.

Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV

I reach the Reaping. I'm walking towards my girlfriend, Rachel, when a blonde, freckly girl with her hair in two braids bumps into me.

"Oh, sorry!" She says. "Clumsy me! I should look where I'm going!" I think I feel something in my pocket, and I start to pull away.

"Oh, it's fine," I say, trying to extract myself from our intertwined bodies. She suddenly kisses me. I struggle against her until she suddenly lets me go.

"Consider that payment for my clumsiness," she says and runs away. I stand there, in shock for a few seconds, until Rachel walks up to me.

"What was that?" She says.

"Oh, nothing. She just... uh… bumped into me… and then she just kissed me..." I trail off, unsure of what to say next.

"I know, sweetheart, I saw the whole thing. I was just messing with you," she says. Then she kisses me. We talk until the Reaping starts. I see the girl who gets Reaped. It's that girl who bumped into me earlier! Getting a better look at her, she looks small and weak. I bet I could kill her easily. Maybe I will.

"The Male Tribute from District 5 is..." Jupiter reaches into the bowl. This is my chance.

"I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout. I stride confidently toward the stage and introduce myself to Jupiter.

"The Tributes from District 5 are Sofia Guinness and Spire Windell!"

 **A/N: We now have all of our Tributes! Thank you to everyone who submitted a Tribute! I did not necessarily get a lot of direct work done on the story today, but the good news is, I have worked out an outline, which means that there is a victor, a list of Bloodbath Tributes, and I know who kills who, and in what order. I spent a while working on it, so I hope you'll like the story that results from it! We have a surprising victor (or maybe we don't, and I'm just saying that so that even though the person you think is going to win is going to win, you think it'll be someone else, so you'll be surprised when the person you thought would win wins. It all just depends on who you're rooting for.) I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please leave a review with constructive criticism, or who you're rooting for!**

 **Tributes:**

D1M: Topaz Hazard, 17, by Tyquavis

D1F: Satin Hermes, 18, by Swoozelzz

D2M: Arc Woods, 18, by SparrowBirdEliza

D2F: Lily Cross, 17, by SparrowBirdEliza

D3M: Titanium Sparks, 18, by ellodairyme

D3F: Rianna Meade, 16, by AlyssumBellgrove

D4M: Kai Presley, 18, by Hawkmaid

D4F: Brooke Nash, 15, by Hawkmaid

D5M: Spire Windell, 16, by antarcs.

D5F: Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D6M: Edmund Caden, 15, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D6F: Lindsay Cutt, 13, by abcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz005

D7M: Cyder Lamentain, 17, by Anna

D7F: Aurora Dayton, 17, by ellodairyme

D8M: Kaine Thomason, 14, by Tyquavis

D8F: Twyler Onzui, 16, by Swoozelzz

D9M: Angus Blush, 17, by 20

D9F: Azalea Saffron, 12, by RandomTeenGirl

D10M: Noah Jones, 17, Zacksteel

D10F: Belinda Molsier, 15, by RandomTeenGirl

D11M: Calyx Anther, 17, by PaxZola

D11F: Athena Fallow, 17, by Professor R.J Lupin1

D12M: Wyatt Fritz, 14, by Annabeth Pie

D12F: Abi Hendrix, 14, by Annabeth Pie


	16. District 11 Reapings

**Chapter 16**

 **District 11 Reapings**

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

"Ready for the Reaping?" I ask my sisters, Alia and Ainsley. Well, technically, they're my step-sisters, but they're like sisters to me.

"How do I look?" Alia asks me. She's in a dress that was given to us by my boyfriend, Alix. Actually, all three of us are. Ever since Kathrenia kicked us out, we haven't had the money to buy more than basic necessities. Reaping clothes are a luxury we can't afford. Luckily, Alix's family has enough money to buy clothes for him and us. He's an only child, and his parents are moderately well-off, so they have the money to spare. Alix works too, and he helps pay for the clothes. It's very nice of him.

"You look very nice," I say. "How do I look?"

"Very nice," Ainsley says. "What about me?"

"You look very nice too," I say. Alia is in a green dress, Ainsley is in a blue one, and I'm in a white one. It's a very special dress because, in a few months, I'm going to be walking down the aisle in it. I'm wearing it today to make sure that I like it. And just because I want to. "Should we head over there, then?"

 _Calyx Anther –17- -D11- POV_

I put on my suit jacket, and walk out into the living room.

"How do I look?" I ask.

"Very nice," my sister, Corolla, says. "But not as good as me." She's right. She's resplendent in her emerald dress. Not as nice as me, but still, nice.

"Children, before we get into the argument of who looks nicer, let's head out, shall we?" My mom asks.

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping, and immediately start to look for Alix. I spot him and walk towards him.

"Bye, Athena!" Alia and Ainsley shout in unison. They have said before that they don't want to be around me and Alix. Too _mushy_. They like him, but they like teasing us more.

"Hey, Alix!" I say as I walk up to him.

"Hi, Athena!" He says. He kisses me. Whenever we kiss, he sweeps me off my feet, and this time is no different.

"So, how are you?" I ask when he finally lets me go.

"Good, how's my little Thena?" He asks.

"Good. Really excited about the mass murder of children coming up," I say sarcastically.

"Good to hear. I know you really love all the killing. Personally, I like the girl fights," he says sarcastically.

"I know, right, and I really like it when all the hunky boys fight," I say.

"Okay, okay, in all seriousness, there is one important thing we need to discuss," Alix says. "Is that your wedding dress?"

"Yes, it is," I say.

"Why are you wearing it today?" He asks. "Why not that other dress I got you?"

"First, I wanted to see how this looks, and second, that dress was one size too small, and you know it," I say.

Maybe, but it would still fit, right? Can't blame a guy for trying," he says.

"I could, but I won't," I say. "Anyway, what do you think?" I twirl to show it off for him.

"You look beautiful," he says. We start to kiss but are interrupted by the announcer, Maris's voice.

"Everybody to their sections! This Reaping is about to start!" She says.

"I love you, Alix!" I say as I start to walk away.

"I love you, Athena!" He says. I walk to my section, and I get there as Maris starts the Reaping.

"The Female Tribute from District 11 is… Athena Fallow!" I stand there in shock for a second. Then I start to look for Alix. After a few seconds, I find him. Our eyes lock, and they stay locked as I stumble up to the stage.

 _Calyx Anther –17- -D11- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping. I have a lot of friends, but they're all interspersed throughout the crowd. I walk to my section alone. I see the girl who gets Reaped. I feel sorry for her. She has tan skin, but she looks white as a sheet. She locks eyes with somebody, and barely makes it to the stage without tripping. I wonder who the Male Tribute will be.

"The Male Tribute from District 11 is… Calyx Anther!" Maris announces. _Well, this is it,_ I think. _I'm dead. Oh well. At least my parents will only have Corolla to take care of._ I walk slowly up to the stage and shake hands with Maris.

"The Tributes from District 11 are Athena Fallow and Calyx Anther!"

 **A/N: Only one more Reaping left to do! So, I'm curious, what did you guys think of this chapter? Who did you like? Who don't you like? Who are you rooting for? Are you looking forward to the Justice Building and train ride scenes? Do you like my writing? Sorry, I know it's a lot of questions. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks to PaxZola and Professor R.J. Lupin1 for the wonderful Tributes featured in this chapter! Also, I forgot in the last chapter, but thanks to antarcs and Professor R.J. Lupin1 for the wonderful Tributes featured in the last chapter!**


	17. District 10 Reapings

**Chapter 17**

 **District 10 Reapings  
**

 **A/N: Sorry about the mix-up last night, where I accidentally posted a planning doc. I just want to say to anyone who saw that, that it was old, and whatever you saw is not a representation of what will happen. Sorry, I was tired, and I've deleted the outlines from here, so it won't happen again! Now, without further ado, here are the actual District 10 Reapings!**

 _Belinda Mosler –15- -D10- POV_

I zip up my cowboy boots and walk into the living room, where my brother, Falco, is waiting.

"Going fancy today?" Falco asks, sarcastically. I know he's sarcastic, because I'm in cowboy boots, jeans, and a t-shirt, and he's in a suit.

"I don't see the need to celebrate the mass murder of children," I say. "Apparently, you do."

"You know it's not like that. I'm just taking the opportunity to dress up like everybody else in the District," Falco says. "Besides, it's not like you're going to die today or anything." "Neither am I, and Circe is too young."

"How can you be so confident?" I ask him.

"Just a positive attitude," he says.

"I wouldn't be so confident about you not dying today," I say, and throw a punch.

 **20 minutes later…**

"Children! Break it up, let's go!" My mother says. I and Falco get up from the floor.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you too," Flaco says, and knees me in the crotch.

"No fair," I say.

"Life isn't fair."

"Fair point."

" _Touche."_

"Shut up," I say, and turn to face my little sister, Circe. "You look very beautiful," I say.

"Thank you," Circe says, in her little five-year-old voice.

"Let's go, children," my mother says.

 _Noah Jones –17- -D10- POV_

I walk out into my living room. Bailey runs around my feet. I pick him up.

"Awww. You're just the cutest thing, aren't you? You're so sweet. I love you." I scratch behind the ears as I talk. "I have to go someplace today, but don't worry, I'll be back. The bad people are just going to pick two people to die today. Don't worry though, the odds are very low that I'll get picked." As if in reply, he humphs, and licks me. I put him down. "I gotta go! I'll be back soon!"

 _Belinda Mosler –15- -D10- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping, and immediately start looking for my friend, Claudia. I spot her and walk over. Claudia has straight, red hair, that she's wearing down. Like me, she's not dressed fancy. She's in a horizontally-striped shirt and pants.

"Hi, Claudia!" I say.

"Hi, Belinda!" She says. We hug.

"How are you doing?" I ask.

"Good, you?" She asks.

"Good. Looking forward to being done with the Reaping," I say.

"Me too. The sooner this is done, the better," she says.

"Think you're going to get picked?" I ask.

"I don't know. I hope not. You?" She says.

"I hope not. Think anyone would volunteer for you?" I ask.

"Are you going to?" She asks.

"Maybe," I say.

"Then no," she says.

"Hey! I said I might!" I say.

"Yeah, and I hope you don't. Look, if I get Reaped, don't volunteer. Okay? Do you promise?" She asks.

"Only if you promise that you won't volunteer for me," I say.

"Okay. It's a deal," she says, and we shake hands.  
"District 10, to your places. Please. I want to go home," Golden, the District 10 escort says. It's well known that she hates District 10 and would rather be in the Capitol. When she applied to be an escort, she said that she wanted District 1, but somehow, it got changed to 10. Golden blames Gia, the District 1 escort. I and Claudia walk to our sections, and we wave at another one of our friends, Eve.

"Okay. Let's start. The Female Tribute from District 10 is… Belinda Molser! Come on up, Belinda!" Somehow, her voice manages to sound excited, and wait- Belinda Molser? That's me. Oh, shoot. I need to move. Now. Legs, move. Move. Move. I start to walk towards the stage, towards my death. I get up to the stage and shake hands with Golden.

 _Noah Jones –17- -D10- POV_

I arrive at the Reaping and run into my friend Caz.

"Hi, Caz," I say.

"Hey, Noah," he says. "Going to talk to Barry?"

"Not unless he collides with me. Why would I?" I ask.

"Well, you know, you might die, he might die, and this might be a good time to tell him how you feel," Caz says.

"Maybe. Or maybe I won't tell him, and when we don't die, I'll continue wanting to tell him, but not telling him. I think I like the second option better," I say.

"Oh, look. Speak of the devil," Caz says. "Here Barry comes now. Bye."

"You didn't!" I shout after him.

"Didn't what?" He shouts back, with an innocent smile.

"Hi, Noah," Barry says. "Caz said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Uh… No. I don't know what Caz thought, but I… uh… no… I don't want to..." _Please, God, let the Reaping start now,_ I think. Mercifully, the voice of Golden answers my prayers.

"District 10, to your places. Please-" I don't hear the rest of what she says, because I'm already running towards my section as fast as I can.

"Bye, Barry!" I shout behind me.

"Bye, Noah!" Barry shouts, evidently confused. I'm going to kill Caz. He knows why I don't tell Barry how I feel because Barry is straight. All I would do is embarrass myself, and make things awkward between myself and Barry. I get to my section and try to focus on the Reaping. I see the girl who gets Reaped. I vaguely recognize her. I think that her parents own a farm next door. The Molsers. That sounds right. I wonder who will be the Male Tribute. I hope it's not Barry. Maybe it'll be Caz. No, I don't want that to happen. Maybe a little bit.

"The Male Tribute from District 10 is Noah Jones!" Golden says. Uh-oh. That's not good. I'm going to die. Why me? Why me? I start walking towards the stage. I try to look confident for the cameras. I walk up to the stage and shake hands with Golden.

"The Tributes from District 10 are Belinda Molser and Noah Jones!"

 **A/N: Thanks to Zacksteel and RandomTeenGirl for the wonderful Tributes!** **Next up are Justice Building scenes, train rides, training, and then the** **G** **ame** **s** **! So, now that we've introduced everyone: Who do you like the most, who are you rooting for, who do you dislike, and who do you hate? Also, I think I might do some tr** **ain rides before I do Justice Building scenes, but would you guys like all of the Justice Building scenes before the train rides, or are you okay with me doing some train rides first? I hope you guys liked and will continue to like this! Thanks for all the reviews, and thanks to everybody for your continued support!**


	18. District 2 Train Rides

**Chapter 18**

 **District 2 train rides.**

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

After the Justice Building, the Peacekeepers drive me to the train station. This train ride is my chance to connect with the other Tribute. I know him. He goes to BlueClaw with me, and I've seen him. He's what most people, I included, would describe as 'hot'. He's got blonde hair and green eyes. He's the guy that all the girls want. And that's how I'll get him to love me. Both of us will be in the careers, but the career alliance is unstable. If I have someone who loves me, and thinks that I love them back, they'll protect me, even when the alliance breaks up. When the alliance breaks up, we'll fight together. Then I'll slit his throat, but up until then, he'll think I love him. I'm a good actress, and good at manipulating people. I picked those skills up from my Dad. I absentmindedly swirl my hair around my finger and smile. He will be mine.

When we arrive at the train station, I get out, and I and Arc stand in the doorway will the cameras take their pictures. When I get on the train, I immediately head for my room. I strip my clothes off and take a shower. When I get out, I search the drawers in my room. I find what I am looking for. A short, low cut, green dress. I put it on and check the time. It's only been twenty minutes. Something tells me that Arc will still be at dinner. In order for this to work, he needs to not see me until I want him to. I sit on my bed and wait.

 _Arc Woods –18- -D2- POV_

I board the train. Lily heads immediately to her cabin. I guess a quick wash-up before dinner isn't a bad idea. I'm pretty hungry, so I splash some water on my face, change into a simple T-shirt and pants, and head to dinner. At dinner, they show us the videos of the other Reapings. I try to look for who'll be easy to kill. The pair from 12 look easy enough, although I think that there's something going on between them like they know each other. They'll probably be allies. The girl from 7 also looks like she'd be easy to kill, but her arms are built, so she might put up a fight. The 12-year-old from 9 will be easy too, of course.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

I call one of the Capitol servants and ask them if there's any way that I can watch the Reapings in my room. They say yes and return with a small computer. I tell thank them and tell them to inform me when Arc leaves dinner. I watch the Reapings, looking for potential targets, and doing a general threat assessment. The other Tributes all look pretty weak individually, but together some of them could be pretty threatening. The pair from 12 are dating, and will almost certainly be allies. The pair from seven and the pair from four might ally up, maybe not. Hard to say. The pair from one is going to be hard to kill, but I plan to kill them in their sleep. I'll take one, Arc will take the other. Then we'll only have to kill the boy from three. The girl won't be in the careers. She's never trained, and she collapsed on the stage. I'll vote against taking her, and I'm pretty sure the others will too. Just after I finish watching the Reapings, the servant comes in and informs me that Arc has left dinner and is heading towards his cabin. Wonderful. His cabin is right across from mine. I walk out into the hallway, and lean against my door frame, waiting for him. He walks down the hallway. He's changed.

"Hi," I say, nonchalantly. "You're Arc, right?"

"Yeah," he says. "Lily, right? I think we go to the same academy."

"Yes. Lily. Lily Cross," I say. "BlueClaw Academy, right? I think I've seen you around."

"Yeah, BlueClaw. I've seen you around too. You're the youngest girl they've ever recommended, right?" He asks.

"Yeah, I am. Not to brag, or anything," I say. I twirl my hair, which I've left loose, around my finger. I know that that gesture entices men. "You look nice."

"So do you," he says.

"These rooms are so big," I say, changing my voice to a flirtatious tone, "do you want to see mine?"

 _Arc Woods –18- -D2- POV_

I walk back towards my cabin after dinner and see the girl, Lily, I think, leaning on the frame of her cabin door. She's wearing a short dress that makes her look very attractive. She greets me in a nonchalant tone.

"Hi. You're Arc, right?" She asks.

"Yeah," I say. I try to use the same tone of voice she does. "Lily, right? I think we go to the same academy."

"Yes. Lily. Lily Cross," she says. "BlueClaw Academy, right? I think I've seen you around."

"Yeah, BlueClaw," I say. "I've seen you around too. You're the youngest girl they've ever recommended, right?" I ask. I know that she is, but she started this conservation, and she's responsible for steering it to whatever point it has.

"Yeah, I am. Not to brag, or anything," she says. She twirls her hair around her finger. I stare at it. "You look nice."

"So do you," I say. I don't know why the conservation has taken this turn, but-

"These rooms are sooo big," she says, in a different tone of voice, "do you want to see mine?"

Why is she asking if I want to see her room? She knows that they're identical- She's trying to seduce me! Lily thinks that if she seduces me, I'll fall in love with her, and I'll protect her. She thinks that I'll fight for her, and she'll be able to surprise and kill me. Well, I'll play along. I'll make her fall in love with me, and all the while she'll think I'm in love with her, and we _will_ fight together, but I'll surprise _her_ , and kill _her._ I smile.

"Yes, I would like to see your room," I say.  
"Wonderful," she says, and we walk into her room.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

I wait for his response. I wonder if he's figuring out my plan in his head right now. Maybe. I hope not, but it doesn't really matter. I'll kill him first. He smiles. I don't know if he's figured it out or not. I can't get a read on him just yet. No matter. I will soon, and either way, it doesn't matter.

"Yes, I would like to see your room," he says.

"Wonderful," I say, and we walk into my room. I close the door beside him. "You're very attractive. I want to do this..." I say as I kiss him. I wrap my arms around him. He kisses me back, and his arms wrap around me. I take off his shirt. He unzips my dress, and it falls to the ground as he pushes me down to the bed.

 **30 minutes later…**

 _Arc Woods –18- -D2- POV_

I and Lily lay in bed next to each other.

"That was good," I say.

"It was my first time," she says. "Could you tell?"

"No," I say, truthfully.

"Attention, all passengers, this train will be arriving at the Capitol in ten minutes. Please make your final preparations," an announcement comes over the intercom.

"I guess we should get dressed," she says.

"I guess we should," I say. "Bye. I'm pretty sure that there aren't any clothes for me here."

"Yeah, probably," she says. "Bye. See you soon."

"See you soon," I say. She gives me a quick kiss, and I walk out of the room. I head into my cabin and put on a fancy suit. I walk out into the hallway to find Lily standing there in a full ballgown.

"You look nice."

"So do you."

"Should we head outside?" I ask.

"Sure, let's go,'' she says. We walk through the train doors. "So this is the Capitol."

 **A/N: I confess, I may have wanted to do this chapter before some of the Justice Building scenes, because Justice Building scenes get a bit repetitive, and because this chapter introduces a nice subplot. So, I have some questions: Did you like this chapter? Which of our conniving Tributes do you think will betray the other first? I plan to do all the Justice Building scenes in a large chapter, but that'll take a while, so do you want one big chapter or smaller chapters with one per District? Also, are there any Justice Building scenes that you guys particularly want to see? And, most importantly, why do (those of you who do) dislike Azalea? Once again, sorry for all the questions! I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **A/N2, actually a note: When I got Arc and Lily's forms, at first I didn't think of anything between them. I wasn't thinking of any romance in the careers (if this can be called romance), but then I noticed that they were both open to romance and that Lily was manipulative, and an idea began to sprout… This seems totally in character for Lily, and it's fun to have a little romance where one would least expect it. I think. I hope you guys liked this!**


	19. Districts 1,3,5 Justice Building Scenes

**Chapter 19**

 **District 1, 3, and 5 Justice Building scenes.**

 _Satin Hermes –18- -D1- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate Topaz and me and take us into the Justice Building. They tell me that my family and friends will be in soon. My parents and I said our goodbyes before the Reaping. It isn't goodbye forever, just for now, so we wanted to prevent tearful goodbyes. Midas, my boyfriend, walks in.

"Hi, Satin," he says.

"Hi, Midas," I say. "What did you want to say earlier?"

"Going right for the hard stuff, aren't you?" He says. His voice is sad, and so is his demeanor.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Satin, listen. I haven't told you, but I had hoped you would have figured this out. I don't like the Games. I think that the wholesale slaughter of children is a horrible thing, and that anyone who would volunteer for anything besides protecting somebody is a horrible person who is essentially signing up to murder children. You just did that. I had hoped that wouldn't. I tried to discourage you… but… Look, Satin. What I'm trying to say is that I'm breaking up with you," he says.

"You don't want to marry me?" I ask.

"Yes. No. Not only do I not want to marry you, I don't want to be your boyfriend. If you come back, I don't want to see you ever again. Okay? Do you understand what I'm saying?" He says.

"Yes. Yes I do. Now get out," I say. I feel tears welling up.

"Satin-"

"Get out or I will put you on the ground."

"Satin… please..."

"Get out."

"Satin..."

I can't control myself anymore. I punch him in the face. I hear a crack, and blood wells up from his nose. "To think-" I punch him again. "That I ever considered marrying you!" I punch him again and again. "How! Why? Why would I want to marry you?" His face is bleeding. I kick him in the groin. He's on the ground now. I keep punching him. I step on his stomach. I jump on it. Then I get down on the ground and punch his face over and over again. I hear shouting and footsteps from behind me. Then I feel two strong pairs of hands pull me up by the underarms. Two Peacekeepers pull me off of him, and another one drags him out of the door. Then the Peacekeepers leave and I sit there, crying until they come again to take me away.

 _Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and Satin and take us into separate rooms in the Justice Building. My family has already said their goodbyes. It's standard practice with volunteers like us. If we know ahead of time, we might as well get all the teary goodbyes out of the way. Besides, I'll be coming back. I've said my goodbyes to my friends. All except one. I hope she'll come. I'm rewarded for my hope when the door opens and Diamond walks in.

"Hi, Mr. Super Confident. How are you?" Diamond says.

"Good, Ms. Sarcasm. You?" I say.

"Good. So..."

"Yes?" I don't know what she means.

"I think there's something that you want to say," she says.

"I don't know what you mean," I say.

"You do," she says. "If you don't say it, I will."

"What?"

"Fine. You like me. Like romantically. You want me to be your girlfriend, and earlier you were thinking that maybe we'd get married and have children. Some might say you love me. You find me attractive. You think I'm funny, smart, pretty, and sneaky. And you're right. And luckily it'll work out for you. I like you too. I think you're attractive, smart, funny, and need to work on detecting people. I love you too, and I would be happy to marry you," Diamond says.

"W-What?" I ask.

"Ugh. You men are so slow. Here," she kisses me. "Did that clear everything up in your brain?"

"Uh… I…"

"Oh my God," she kisses me again, deeper and longer this time.

"Diamond! You… You knew? How long did you know?" I ask. I'm still reeling from the shock that she knew. And her kissing me. "Did somebody tell you? Ruby? Argent?"

"None of them. Do you I think I'm stupid, Topaz? A girl can always tell. You blush whenever I enter a room. I see the way you look at me. You act different when I'm around. You try to impress me, and get closer to me. I'm not blind. I also know that your friend Argent likes Ruby. I also know that you know that, but only because he told you," she says.

"If you know all that, then does Ruby know that Argent likes her?" I ask.

"No. Okay, so maybe not every girl, but she knew that you liked me, and I knew that Argent liked her for a long time. Some girls go blind when it comes to themselves. Ruby's one of them. I am not," she says.

"Wow. So, you didn't answer my question. How long did you know?" I ask.

"When did you start liking me?"

"Two years ago," I say.

"About 3 weeks after that," she says.

"Wow. That's good," I say.

"Yeah, I know," she says. Then she curtsies.

"So what does that mean for when I come back?" I ask.

"Well, I've been thinking about that. We both turn 18 in a few months, so after we turn eighteen, we'll get married. Next year, I'm going to volunteer. When I come back after that, we can start our family. With all the money we'll have, we could afford lots of kids, but I think that two is best. Maybe we could name them Topaz and Sarah," she says.

"Wow. You've thought about this a lot," I say.

"Well, what else am I supposed to think about in the shower?" She asks, playfully.

"I don't know. Maybe Diamond and John for the kids?" I ask.

"I can see that that's going to be a point of contention for us," she says, jokingly.

"I see," I say. "Before I have to go, let me give you something else to think about in the shower," I say. Then I kiss her, pulling her into a dip. She's surprised for a second, but then she kisses me back.

 _Rianna Meade –16- -D3- POV_

They take me into the Justice Building, where I sit in silence until the Peacekeepers come again to take me away.

 _Titanium Sparks –18- -D3- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and the pathetic girl and take us into different rooms in the Justice Building. I've told my mother and father goodbye. I wonder if I have time for a quick hook-up with Daizee, but then I discard the idea. They're probably watching me. Then again… They might enjoy the show… No. No. No. I just did that last night. I'll be good. I wonder if she'll come. I just hope that if she comes, none of the other girls that I've… enjoyed the company of will come. Then again, Daizee knew that I slept with other people. She must have known… Right? Oh well. The door opens.

"You're going to marry that girl?" Oh no. Helen. I slept with her once. She was a handful, and apparently didn't appreciate that I left before she woke up. I would wonder why she's here, but because the time I slept with her was two nights ago, I'm not surprised. "Yeah, I overheard your conversation with that little slut. You're going to marry her? I bet you don't even know her name. Or mine." Helen stops, staring at me with her arms crossed. I sigh.

"Your name is Helen, and hers is Daizee. Now, Helen, if you'd be leaving-" I say before she cuts me off.

"I'm not done with you, Mr. Far from it," she says.

I sigh again, and say "Security, could you please show Ms. Helen here out?" Two Peacekeepers enter the room and start to drag Helen out. She kicks and screams.

"Man slut! I'll tell your little whore-" She is forever cut off by the door closing. The Peacekeepers come back in, followed closely by Daizee. The Peacekeepers leave through the door from whence they came.

"What was that all about?" Daizee asks.

"Some crazy girl calling me names, saying I slept with her," I say. I stroke Daizee's hair as she walks up and kiss her on the cheek.

"Did you?" She asks.

"Yes," I say.

"When?" She asks.

"The night before last."

"Okay. You know that's going to have to stop when we're married, right?" She asks.

"I know. That's why I love you, Daizee. You're just so accepting," I say, absentmindedly stroking her hair. Then I think about what I just said. I love Daizee. Is it true? I guess so, maybe. Oh well. It doesn't matter. After I win, I'll marry her. If it doesn't work out, I can always divorce her. She's the girl I used the most. Maybe that means she meant the most. I don't know.

"Ty? Ty?"  
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking," I say.

"It's fine," she says. She starts to slip off one of the sleeves of her dress. "Should we?"

"No," I say. "They're watching us."

"That's fine."

"I'm sure I don't have that much time."

"Fine. Kiss me then, will you?" She asks. I do. Then she leaves, and I sit in silence.

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

I stand on the stage, in shock. _Oh my God. I'm going to die. Oh no. Oh no. Panic is setting in. Stay calm, Sofie. You've been in a lot of fights before. This is no different. Except instead of trying to get their money back, they'll be trying to kill you. Oh no. Stay calm. Breath. Focus on the Reaping. Maybe you can ally with your District partner. You'll need to find some allies. Stay calm._ I see the boy who is called. _Oh no. Shoot. It's the boy I pick pocketed earlier. He isn't going to want to ally with me. Now he just has an excuse to kill me._ He looks at me, and I can tell that he recognizes . I can see that he thinks I'm easy to kill. He doesn't know how many fights I've been in. We trade looks at each other, and then the Peacekeepers grab us and take off to the Justice Building. One of them tells me that my friends and family will be in shortly, if they want to see me. I thank him for the information and then sit down. I don't have to wait long before my whole family busts in through the doors.

"Sofie!" My mother shouts, tears in her eyes. She runs up to me and hugs me. I hug her back.

"It'll be alright, Mom," I say. "I've been in lots of fights before. I can win. You believe in me, right?"

"I do, honey. I do. I relive in you," she says.

"I believe in you too, little bunny. Plus, if you win, we'll be rich. That's why you should win, okay? Give us all the money we'll ever need," he says. I can tell he's joking, and trying to be happy, but sadness undercuts his voice.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll make sure to win for the money. Staying alive is only a secondary goal," I say, jokingly.

"Miran, let's go. Let's leave the children alone," my mother says.

"Okay, honey," my father says. He hugs me and says, "I believe in you, Sofie. Win for me. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad," I say. "I love both of you, Dad, Mom," I say as they approach the door.

"We love you, Sofie. Good luck," my mother says before they walk out the door.

"Sofie!" Zia says and hugs me.

"What's with everybody shouting my name and hugging me today?" I say. "It's not like I've been sentenced to death or anything."

"Sis, be realistic. I'll probably never see you again. But, to make sure I do, you've always been enticed with swords, right? You should focus on getting one. That's what you should use in training, try to get familiar with it. Okay? You know how to sneak up on people, from all the pick pocketing you do, yes I know about that," she says, seeing the look of surprise on my face. "You need to sneak up on people and kill them quickly, okay? Make sure that they're dead before they know you're there. Then try to put on a bit of a show, so you don't become boring, okay? I don't want the Gamemakers to kill you off because you're boring, okay? Okay? Do you understand, Sofie?"

"Yes, I understand. Thanks, Zia," I say. "I love you."

"I love you too," she says.

"Can I say something?" Rian asks.

"Yes," Zia says. "Sorry, I didn't mean to monopolize Sofie."

"It's fine. I just wanted to say: Come back to me, okay, sis?" He says. I see tears welling up in his eyes and he hugs me.

"I will. I promise," I say. He pulls away.

"I think that Markus wants to say something," Rian says.

"Yeah. Look, I mostly agree with Zia on strategy. I only have one thing to add. You should try to get a ranged weapon that you know how to use. I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it in training, just a few minutes, and you definitely want to show the Gamemakers your sword skills, but you should know how to attack from a range. If somebody gets a bow and arrow and all you have is a sword, it won't end well for you. I would go for throwing knifes, but that's just me. I think that they're easier to use than a bow and arrow with less training. Oh, and of course, always stay alert. I love you, Sofie," Markus says, and hugs me.

Liarla steps forward. "I'm so sorry, Sofie. I love you."

"I love you too," I say as we hug. "Zac, I love you too," I say, picking him up and hugging him.

"Why is everybody crying?" Ana asks.

"I have to go away, and I might not come back. You're going to see me on television. I might do horrible things, but you have to now that no matter what, I love you. Okay?" I say, picking Ana up so that she's at eye level.

"Okay, Sofie," she says.

"I love you, Ana."

"I love you too, Sofie," she says as I put her down. I pick up Kyler. "The same goes for you, okay?"

"Okay, Sof," he says. He's still too young to pronounce Sofie. "I love you, Ky. You know that, right?"

"Yup. I love you too, Sof," he says. I set him down.

"Thanks, everybody. I love all you of you," I say.

"We love you too, Sofie," Zia says. "I guess we should be going." And just like that, they're all gone.

Sam and Abby walk in, holding hands. Abby throws herself at me, crying.

"Sofie… How could you… It was you… I'm so sorry," she says.

"It's alright. You have nothing to apologize for," I say. "You didn't pick my name out of the bowl, did you?"

"No, but..."

"But nothing. There is nothing you could have done that would have changed the outcome," I say.

"I could have volunteered," she says, separating herself from me.

"How would that have worked out? You would have just been getting yourself killed. And Sam might have volunteered to help you. You would have killed yourself and Sam. Then I would be sitting there, in my house, watching you two die, and feeling guilty, knowing it was all my fault. I don't see how this can objectively work out better," I say.

"I guess," she says. "But we could have won."

"No, no you couldn't have. Only one person can win the Hunger Games," I say. "One of you still would have died. And then the other one would come back and blame me. And they would be right to. How would you feel, Abby, knowing that Sam died for you and that it was all my fault? We wouldn't still be friends. You would hate me, and you would be right to. Sorry, Sam, but you wouldn't win. You would die for Abby. And I would hate you if you let her die for you. Look, at least this way, even if I die, you'll still be together. And, if I win, we'll all still be alive, and nobody will hate each other."

"Fair point. I guess you're right," Abby says. "And I know that Sam would totally sacrifice himself for me. Right, Sam?"

"Of course I would, Abby. I love you," Sam says.

"Did you just say that you love me?" Abby asks.

"I did," Sam says.

"That's good because I love you too," Abby says. Then they kiss. Then they continue to kiss, their hands moving over each other's backs.

After about thirty seconds, and before the first shirt came off, I clear my throat and say, "Uh, still other people in the room."

Sam and Abby separate, blushing. "Sorry," Abby says.

"It's fine. You'll have all the time to make out while I'm being run through, but for now, can we focus on saying our goodbyes?" I say.

"Sorry," Sam says.

"Yeah, sorry, Sofie. You're right, now is the time for you," Abby says.

"So I'm assuming that the whole 'I love you' thing is a milestone for you two?" I ask.

"Yes. But you knew that" Abby says, winking at me.

"Sofie… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that other boy volunteer. I could have helped you… Sofie… I'm sorry…" Sam says and breaks down into tears, hugging me. I'm surprised. This is out of character for Sam.

"Sam… It's alright. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised. You're usually so… apathetic," I say.

"I still care, Sofie. I always have," Sam says.

"I know, I know," I say. He pulls away and straightens himself up. "I wish you the best of luck. And may I say, I hope I don't see you on TV. And if I do, I hope that it'll be with a sword in hand, and that sword sticking through someone else, okay?"

"Okay, Sam. I promise," I say.

"I'm going to go before I start to- cry- again-" He says, walking out of the room, already sobbing.

"Be there in a minute, babe!" Abby shouts after him.

"Abby, before I have to go, I want to say something. Sam seems like a really good guy. I think he might be your future husband. Don't screw it up, okay?"

"Okay. And, Sofie, I wanted to say something too. You need to find allies, okay? You either need to make a guy fall in love with you or ally with some other smart, strong person. Whether it's another Reaped one or even the careers, you need allies. The people with allies always do better. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Abby," I say.

"Maybe you could ally with your District partner? He looked… dreamy," Abby says, dreamily.

"Uh… That's a no," I say.

"You didn't!" Abby says.

"I did," I say, abashedly.

"You pick pocketed him?"

"Yup."

"Oh boy. Now he's going to want and try to kill you," Abby says.

"I know."

"Well, I guess that I should be heading out. I love you, Sofie. Platonically. Like the sister I never had," Abby says.

"I love you too, Abby. Like a sister," I say, and hug her. Then she leaves, and the Peacekeepers come to take me away.

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

 **A/N: I'm so sorry. I got Spire's girlfriend's name mixed up last time we saw him. I'll update it, but this is for those of you who read the original draft. It's actually Rachel, not Bianca. Sorry. :)**

The Peacekeepers separate me and the weak girl who was Reaped. They take us into separate rooms in the Justice Building. My mother and father walk in.

"How could you?" My mother shouts at me.

"Now, Bea-" My father starts to say but is cut off by my mother's shouting.

"How could you leave us! You stupid, impulsive, son of a... man whore!" My mother shouts. I sigh. This is not what I want to have to deal with now.

"Security," I shout over my shoulder. "Could you please remove these two?" As the Peacekeepers come in, my mom is still shouting incoherently, and my dad is just standing there. "Mom, Dad, I love you, and you'll see that I did the right thing when I come back with all the money we'll ever need. Bye!" I shout as the Peacekeepers finally succeed in dragging them out the door. Rachel walks in, flanked on either side and slightly to the back by the two Peacekeepers. They walk back out of my sight.

"Hi, Rachel," I say.

"Hi, Spire," she says.

"I love you, Rachel," I say.

"You're just going to blurt it out like that?" Rachel asks.

"I guess so," I say.

"I love you too!" Rachel says. Then she jumps on me and kisses me.

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I have some questions for you, as always:**

 **District 1 Tributes: Which one of them do you like more? Who do you think will live longer? Note: They really had opposite luck, didn't they?**

 **District 3 Tributes: Poor Rianna… How long do you think she'll live? As for Titanium… I got nothing. General thoughts, I guess?**

 **District 5 Tributes: Which do you like more? Do you think either one of them will win?**

 **General questions: Who do you think will win? Did you like this chapter? Are you excited for more Justice Building and Train Rides coming up? Are you excited for the Games?**


	20. Districts 6, 9, 10, 11, goodbyes

**Chapter 20**

 **Districts 6, 9, 10, and 11 Justice Building Scenes**

 **A/N: I cannot read. My apologies to abcdefghijklonopqrstvwxyz005 for not noting the names they gave to Lindsay's triplet brothers. That's fixed for this chapter, and I've edited the D6 Reapings. Sorry. :)**

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

 _Oh my God. I guess that thought of having a few days away from Edmund was wrong. I'm going to be with him the whole time. Oh God, kill me now,_ I think. Sadly, my prayers are not answered by a lightning bolt out of the blue sky. The Peacekeepers separate me and Edmund and take me to the Justice Building. I sit there for a good ten minutes before my family comes in.

"Hi, Lindsay. We're so sorry we're here late. Ronald held us up," my dad says.

"It's fine," I say. "No rush. I'm going to die soon anyway."

"Don't say that, honey. You could still win," my father says.

"Don't say that. You know I couldn't. I'm not strong, or fast, or smart. I deserve it anyway," I say.

"Honey, how could you say that?" My mother asks.

"You really don't know? Of course, you don't. Nobody cares about me. That's why I deserve to die. Goodbye, Mom, Dad, Haley, Jeremy, Ronald."

"Honey-" My mom starts to say.

"I just want to be alone, okay?" I say.

"Fine," my mom says. "Kids, let's go." My mom and brothers leave.

"Lindsay. I'm sorry. I wish the best for you. I didn't realize that you felt this way. May the odds be ever in your favor!" My father says. Then, just like that, my family is gone from my life forever.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

The Peacekeepers take me into a room in the Justice Building. My mom and Dad are already there waiting for me.

"Honey! I'm so sorry!" My mother says and rushes towards me embracing me.

"It's alright. Thanks," I say.

"Good luck, son," my Dad says and leaves the room.

"I hope you'll do well. I don't know what else to say," my mother says.

"I love you, Mom. Don't worry, I'll come back," I say.

"That's good. I love you too," my mom says, and then she too leaves.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- -D9- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and the boy who volunteered. He didn't seem sure of his own name.

 _As I ride the elevator_

 _Of the Building of Death_

 _They call it Justice_

 _But it's not Justice. You can smell it with your breath._

 _Not Justice, but Death._

 _Not Justice, but Death._

I compose a little poem in the elevator. I like to do that. Write poetry. I arrive in a room, and before the Peacekeeper can get out more than "Your fam-", my father and brother burst in the door. The Peacekeepers leave.

"Azalea!" My Dad shouts and runs to me. He embraces me in a tight hug. "I love you so much! I'm so sorry this happened!"

"I love you too, Dad," I say. We separate.

"I hope you do well," he says. "I know that Basil and you have some things to talk about, so I'm going to leave now," he says and leaves.

"Basil, I'm so sorry-" I start to say, but Basil cuts me off.

"No, Azalea. You're right. Everything you said was right. I don't use the money to help you and Dad. And I could. I will, from now on. And you were right. When you were Reaped, I didn't volunteer. I just stood there, shocked. I could have been there to protect you, but I wasn't. I'm so sorry. I know this doesn't fix it, but from now on, I'm going to use all the money I make to help Dad. And you, when you come back. I don't want you to have to get a job. You won't. I love you, Azalea, and I'm sorry," he says and hugs me.

"Thanks, Basil. I love you too. And I'm sorry for what I said earlier," I say.

"No, it's good. I needed to hear it," he says.

"Want to hear a poem I wrote?" I ask.

"Sure," he says.

"Okay. Here it is:

"

 _As I ride the elevator_

 _Of the Building of Death_

 _They call it Justice_

 _But it's not Justice. You can smell it with your breath._

 _Not Justice, but Death._

 _Not Justice, but Death._

"

" I finish reciting my poem. "What did you think?"

"It's beautiful, Azalea," he says.

"Thanks," I say.

"Look, there's one thing I wanted to say," he says. "If you get a knife, you can try to dig out the tracker and-" Two Peacekeepers enter the room. They grab him and start to drag him out. "You might be able to get past the-!" He's cut off by the gloved hand of one of the Peacekeepers over his mouth. Another Peacekeeper grabs me and starts to drag me away. I'm dragged out of the room.

 _Holly Davis –32- -D9R- POV_

"But I thought we got to see Azalea before she left!" I shout at the Peacekeeper.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, something came up. She had to leave earlier than excepted," he says.

"But I wanted to give this to her," my daughter, Flora, says. She holds out a pin. It's a little pink book.

"I'll make sure she gets it," the Peacekeeper says, taking the pin from Flora. "Thank you for your understanding, ma'am," he says, then turns crisply and walks away.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

What the? Why am I standing on stage? Was I Reaped? What happened? Whatever the case, the Peacekeepers grab me and take me to the Justice Building. My best friend, Talon, walks in.

"What did you do?" He shouts.

"I don't know," I say. "What did I do?"

"You don't- Oh, that's right. You volunteered."  
"I did what?"

"You volunteered."

"I volunteered?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," I say. I feel faint. I bend over and grasp at my stomach.

"Are you alright-"

 _Dem Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"Miller! What did you do? You are an idiot! You put all of us through this? Are you kidding me? Come out here you coward!" I say.

 _Miller Blush –_ _17- -D9- POV_

"Okay. I'm here. What? Mom died, Sunnoria's going that way too. What's left for us here?" I say.

 _Dem Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"Sunnoria is still alive! We don't know that she'll die! What is wrong with you?"

 _Miller Blush –_ _17- -D9- POV_

"I think that technically, it's something that's wrong with all of us. But- Ugh- Not now, Angus! No!"  
 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"What happened?" I ask.

"You just had an argument with yourself," Talon says. "Your mom died?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Well, I'm going to leave you to… yourselves," Talon says and walks out of the room.

 _Belinda Mosler –15- -D10- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and Noah and take me into the Justice Building. My family walks in.

"Hi, Belinda," my mom says, dejectedly.

"Hi, mom, dad, Falco, Circe," I say.

"I'm so sorry, Belinda," my mom says and hugs me. Then my Dad, my brother, and my sister all do the same.

"I hope you win, Belinda," Falco says.

"You could have volunteered and helped me," I say.

"I wanted to, but I was too shocked… I'm sorry, Belinda," Falco says.

"It's fine. I wouldn't have wanted you to anyway. You would have died in the first five minutes," I say.

"No, I wouldn't have! You would have!" He says.

"No, you would have!" I say. I aim low and punch him in the gut. "See, you didn't see that coming."

"Oh, well did you see _this_ coming?" He asks and punches me in the chest.

"Yes."

"No, you didn't," he says.

"Yes, I did," I say.

"No, you didn't," he says.

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't."

"Children, before this escalates, Belinda, say goodbye to your little sister," my father says.

"You're right," I say, and bend down to Circe's eye level. "I love you, Circe. I'm afraid I won't be back for a while," I say.

"I get it, Bell," Circe says. "I love you too." I kiss her and then punch Falco in the groin as I straighten up.

"Sorry!" I say, as I stand up and sidestep his return punch.

"No fair!" He says.

"You can't hit a girl!" I say as I dodge his next punch.

"Yes, I can!" He says.

"You can't punch a Tribute!" I say, as his fist collides with my stomach. "Off!"

"Now we're even," he says. "I love you, Belinda."

"I love you too, Falco," I say, and we hug again. Then they leave, and I sit in silence.

 _Noah Jones –17- -D10- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and Belinda and take me into the Justice Building. My parents come in.

"Noah!" My mother shouts and wraps her arms around me. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too," I say. My Dad and I do pretty much the same thing, and then they leave. I wonder if Caz will come. He walks in.

"I can't stay long. I just came by to wish you good luck, and tell you that I'm going to tell Barry how you feel!" He says, and then darts back out through the door. _Shoot! Well, I guess I won't be embarrassed since Caz is going to do it. And then I'll be dead, so I'll never have to face Barry. That's good, I guess._

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and Calyx and take us to the Justice Building. My sisters walk in.

"Athena!" Alia says, and hugs me. "I'm so so sorry! I know you were planning to marry Alix! I hope you'll win!" She's crying.

"It's alright, Alia. I can do it," I say, reassuringly. "And I can come back with all the money we need. We can get a house, and-"

"Athena, be realistic. This is probably the last time I'll ever see you. I want to believe that you'll come back, but the odds are not in your favor," Alia says.

"Oh, really? I already worked out a training strategy. You know what I'm going to do on the train? I'm going to watch all the other Reapings and try to find allies. I'm going to see who to avoid, who to ally with, and who will be gone in the Bloodbath," I say.

"Okay. Maybe you stand a chance," Alia says. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound pessimistic. I believe in you, Athena. After all, you are named after the ancient goddess of wise war. Some of the other Tributes may be more like Ares, but Athena always managed to get the better of him," Alia says.

"Thanks, Alia," I say. "How did you know so much about my name?" I ask.\

"You think I never listened to your Dad?" Alia asks.

"He told about that?" I ask.

"Of course. He always talked about you. Your name, how proud he was of you, how much he loved his little 'Thena. He was very proud of you, Athena," Alia says.

"Thanks, Alia," I say and hug her again.

"Athena. I love you, Athena. I believe in you," Ainsley says.

"Thanks, Ainsley. I love you too. You know, if I don't come back, Alix will take care of you. It might be better, actually. Maybe without having to spend money on me, he'll be able to get you a small place," I say.

"Don't talk like that, Athena," Ainsley says. "You stand a very good chance of winning. Especially if you get allies. I think that if you talk about what happened with Katherina and your Dad, you'll be able to get Sponsors. You're an attractive young girl with a nice backstory. You're the one they want to win."

"Thanks, Ainsley," I say.

"We should go. I know that Alix is waiting," Alia says. "I love you, Athena."

"I love you too, Alia. I love you, Ainsley," I say.

"Love you too, sis!" Ainsley shouts back as she and Alia leave the room. For a second, all is silent. Then I hear shouting, and the door bursts open. A woman walks in. For a second, I don't recognize her. Then I do. It's Katherina.

"What are you doing here?" I shout. "What makes you think that you- you of all people, have the right to come here?"

"I just want to say goodbye to my stepdaughter," she says. "What's so wrong about that?''

"What's so wrong about- what's so wrong about that? After what you did? You think that I ever want to see you again? You killed my father! Hey, that's right! Peacekeepers, I know you're watching! This woman, Katherina Gregor, killed my father, Frair Fallow! Ask me or my stepsisters! We'll all tell you the same thing! Get this woman out of here! Now!" Two Peacekeepers walk in as I speak, and grab Katherina under the shoulders and start to drag her out.

"This girl is clearly crazy! I've never killed anybody! I've never..." She's dragged out of the room. A third Peacekeeper comes in with a notepad and pen.

"Ma'am, if you could, could you please provide a statement about the murder of Frair Fallow?" He asks.

"Of course. I remember it all," I say, and start to recount my story.

 **4 Years ago… A dark and stormy night in District 11…**

 _I was thirteen at the time. My Dad and Katherina had been married for four years. I was at home with my stepsisters, Alia Gregor and Ainsley Gregor, and my step-mother, Katherina Gregor. My Dad wasn't home yet. Katherina and I were in a room together, just the two of us. My stepsisters were in Alia's bedroom. Anyway, Katherina was yelling, like she usually did._

" _You little b-! You little slut! You! You are ruining my little family. You know what your Dad talks about when we're in bed together? You! Not my precious little gems, you! You dirty, little, one-night stand product! You are horrible! You don't deserve to live! You don't deserve a place in this family! You're ruining my perfect little family! You little whore! You don't deserve a place here!"My father started to come back. We heard his key in the door. "Don't you dare to tell your father about this! You are going to sit on that couch and shut up w_ _hile_ _I talk to your father, okay?" I follow her instructions and s_ _i_ _t down on the couch. "Alia, Ainsley, come out to see you_ _r_ _Dad!" Katherina shouts. Alia and Ainsley came out of_ _Alia's room. My Dad enters the house._

" _Hi, girls! Hi, 'Thena, Alia, Ainsley!" My dad says. He hugs all of us then turns to Katherina and kisses her. "Hi, honey!" He says. He was always so happy._

" _Frair, we need to talk," Katherina says._

" _Okay, honey. What about?" Dad asks._

" _Athena," Katherina says._

" _Okay, what about Athena?" Dad asks._

" _I want her to leave," Katherina says._

" _What do you mean?" My dad asks._

" _I want her to get out of the house. Forever," Katherina says._

" _You want to kick her out? You want her to live on the streets?" My dad asks, evidently shocked._

" _Or we could kill her. If you don't want her to live on the streets, we could always shoot her," Katherina says. She pulls a gun out of her pocket. "I got this just for that reason," she says._

" _You got a gun? Give that to me, now!" My dad says._

" _So you want to shoot her yourself?" Katherina asks. She cocks the gun. "Okay. Be my guest."_

" _No! I don't want to shoot her. I don't want to kick her out either! She's my daughter! I love her more than anything in the world, including you! Put the gun down, Katherina!"_ _My Dad says. Katherina makes no motion to put the gun down.  
"You don't want to kill her? The little b-!" Katherina shouts._

" _How dare you call my daughter that!" My dad says. "Give me the gun, Katherina," he says, in a calmer voice._

" _No," Katherina says, her voice deadly calm. "I won't put the gun down." She levels the gun at my father._

" _Katherina, what are you doing?" My dad asks panic showing through his calm facade._

" _This," she says. She pulls the trigger. I hear a bang and a scream. It might have been mine. Then blood sprouts from my dad's chest. He falls backward._

" _Athena… Run!" He says as he falls backward. Katherina starts to point the gun at me._

" _Prepare to die!" She shouts. I waste no time following my father's advice. I run._

" _Alia, Ainsley! Come on!" I shout. They get up and follow me. We run outside and hide behind the door. Katherina pokes her head out the door and looks both ways down the street. Then she heads back inside, laughing. I, Alia, and Ainsley run._

 **Back to the present…**

"Why didn't you testify before, ma'am?" The Peacekeeper asks.

"I didn't know where she was. We thought that you had already taken her in. And, honestly, we were afraid. Afraid that if she found out, she would kill us. Now you already have her, so..."

"I see. Thank you for your testimony, ma'am," the Peacekeeper says. He starts to leave.

"Um… Will you convict her? Make sure she can't hurt my sisters?" I ask.

"I don't know for sure, but I can tell you know that if your sister's testimonies match yours, we will convict Katherina for murder and attempted murder. She will be executed, without being let out of our sight once," the Peacekeeper says.

"Thank you. Oh, and there's one more thing. There's a young man waiting out there for me, but he probably got a little distracted. Can you make sure he gets shown in?" I ask.

"Of course, ma'am," the Peacekeeper says, and leaves. A minute later, Alix comes in.

"Athena!" Alix says. He rushes towards me and hugs me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. The Games haven't started yet," I say. I try to put a laughing tone in my voice.

"I love you, Athena," he says.

"I love you too, Alix," I say, and kiss him. He picks me up. Then he sets me down again.

"Athena… I… I… Come back to me. Come back to me and marry me. Okay? Do you promise?" He asks.

"I'll do my best," I say.

"Come on, Athena. Promise me," Alix says.

"You know I can't do that," I say.

"You're right. I'm sorry, 'Thena," he says.

"It's fine. I get it. You're stressed," I say.

"And guilty. I could have volunteered. I should have," he says.

"No, you shouldn't have. Only one person can win. I don't want you to die," I say.

"I don't want you to either, Athena. Come back to me. I don't want to be that guy who everybody feels bad for because his fiance died in the Hunger Games, okay? I want to be that guy who everybody is jealous of because his wife won the Hunger Games," Alix says.

"Okay," I say. I kiss him, and he picks me up again.

 _Calyx Anther –17- -D11- POV_

The Peacekeepers separate me and Athena and take us into separate rooms in the Justice Building. My mom, dad, and sister walk into the room.

"Calyx!" My mother shouts. "I'm so sorry. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," I say. "I'll be fine. I know what plants to eat, and… and I'm strong… I can climb trees..."

"I never doubted you, Calyx. I'm so sorry this happened to you," my mom says.

"I love you, son. I think you'll do well," my father says.

"Thanks, Dad," I say.

"Calyx… I love you… I'm sorry it wasn't me," Corolla says.

"Thanks, Corolla," I say, "but it shouldn't have been you. It's good that it was me. I'm older. I stand a better chance at winning."

"You're right, Calyx," she says. "Thanks." We hug, and then I hug each of my parents.

"I love you all!" I shout after them.

"We love you too!" They shout back at me as I leave.

 **A/N: Okay! All the Justice Building scenes are done! That was a good bit of work, but it was fun! The best part, I think (and the part that took up the most time), was Athena's backstory. So, questions:**

 **District 6 Tributes: Which one do you like better? How long do you think each will live?**

 **District 9 Tributes: Which one do you like better? Do you like Azalea more now? What do you think her brother was trying to say? How long do you think Angus will last? Do you like my poetry? Should I have someone else write poetry for me?**

 **District 10 Tributes: Which one do you like better? How long do you think each will live?**

 **District 11 Tributes: Which one do you like better? What did you think of Athena's backstory? How long do you think Athena will live? How long do you think Calyx will live?**

 **General questions: Train rides are next, but I'm probably going to just summarize some of them. Are you guys okay with that? What alliances do you foresee? Who do you think will win? Are you ready for the Games? Should I stop asking questions?**

 **Note: Anna: Wow, you really went for the reviews there! Thanks! Also, I'm going to incorporate that friends and family stuff you told me.**


	21. Train rides

**Chapter 21**

 **Train Rides**

 _Satin Hermes –18- -D1- POV_

After my encounter with Midas in the Justice Building, I take a car to the train station. I think about what I should do on the train ride. I should watch the Reapings, make a threat assessment of the other Tributes, and maybe try to connect with the male Tribute, Topaz, I think it is. I arrive at the train station and pose at the door of the train for pictures. Then I head into the train. I head to my room. I decide to shower before dinner. I shower and change clothes. I head to the dining car. Topaz and the mentor are already there.

"Ah, Satin. You're finally here, I see," our mentor, Jennifer White, says. Jennifer is a blonde, blue-eyed girl who's all of 21. She won her Hunger Games at 17. She turns to Topaz and says, "What can I say? Women always need their bathroom time," she says with a smile. "So, now that you're here, we can discuss strategy. Please, sit down, Satin."

"Uh… Okay," I say. Jennifer's niceness, and the fact that she already knows my name has thrown me off guard.

"Please, help yourself to some bread," Jennifer says. "Topaz and I were talking. It seems you two have heard of each other already?"

"Uh… Yes. We go to the same Academy," I say.

"Wonderful! We don't need to waste time on introductions. I already have the other Reaping videos queued up so that we can watch them. Please, enjoy the food. You need to be well fed for the Games!" Jennifer says. She pulls up the Reaping videos. "Let's start with District 2. These guys will most likely be your allies..." We watch all the Reaping videos, with Jennifer providing her commentary on each of them.

District 3: "That girl is going to die in the Bloodbath. Do not ally with her. The boy though, he's been training," Jennifer says, with a bit of lust in her voice.

District 4: "The girl has been training, but she's young. She'll be harder to kill, but not difficult for you and the other careers. The boy hasn't been training that long, but whatever he does, he's strong. Hard to gauge his intelligence, but he'll be hard to take down. Maybe try to take him into the careers to make him easier to kill."

District 5: "The girl is untrained, and well probably be an easy kill, but you should watch her training score, just to make sure. The boy has clearly been training. Try to recruit him."

District 6: "The girl will die in the Bloodbath. The boy is moderately strong, but he's pretty young. He will probably be moderately hard to kill. Don't recruit him. He's not worth it."

District 7: "Neither of these two trained. They work in the forest, so they have strong arms, but that's it. They'll probably be easy kills, but watch to see what training scores they get."

District 8: "Pretty. Easy kill, though. So sad. Those blue eyes really are stunning. The boy is young, but don't underestimate him. He'll be a hard kill."

District 9: "The girl is really young. She'll probably be an easy kill. The boy volunteered, but he's unsure of his own name. I don't know what to make of him. Be careful and watch him."

District 10: "They're both moderately hard kills."

"What, that's it?"

"You just don't have a lot to say about some people."

"Fair point."

District 11: "The girl looks smart. She might be a hard kill. Keep an eye on her. The boy is strong, but not as strong as you two. He'll be easy to kill."

District 12: "Wow. Those two are a couple. They'll almost certainly be allies. They don't look that hard to kill, and if you kill one, one of two things will happen: The other one will break, or the other one will become angry at you and the hardest thing to kill, because they suddenly have the best reason in the world to kill you," Jennifer says. "You hope option one happens."

"I would think that killing somebody they're in love with would break them," I say.

"Not necessarily. That's a common fallacy. It depends on the person. There are some people who it'll break, and they're some who it'll only make stronger. Do not base your strategy on thinking that if you kill one of them, the other will break. Many possibly great military attacks have been foiled by thinking that," Jennifer says.

"Like what?" Topaz asks. I'm curious too. I've never heard anything about any great military campaigns, except for the rebellion, which was certainly not great.

"You're not supposed to know this, but before there was Panem, there was another great country here. One time, somebody from a faraway land attacked it with a large sneak attack they thought would cripple the nation. Well, it did cripple some of the nation's military, they got angry instead of sad. They ended up winning the ensuing war," Jennifer says.

"Oh," I say. Topaz nods.

"So, if we run into them, try to kill both of them quickly and within a few seconds of each other? No leaving one to cry?" I ask.

"Yup, pretty much," Jennifer says.

"Why do you think Brooke has been training?" Topaz asked.

"No, no, no," Jennifer says. "There is no Brooke, Kai, or Aurora. There is the District Four Female, the District Four Male, and the District Seven Female. Never call the other Tributes by name. You'll humanize them. They aren't people. They don't have names. They are opponents who must be killed. They are easy kills, moderate kills, or hard kills. You don't think I won my Hunger Games by calling the other Tributes Jane and Rose, did you? That's why I was referring to them as the girl from x and the boy from x. Got it?"

"Oh. Got it. Sorry. So, why do you think the girl from 4 has been training?" Topaz asks.

"Better," Jennifer says. She rewinds the tape back to the District Four Reapings. "Look at her arms. They're good throwing arms."

"Oh. Thanks, Jennifer," Topaz says.

"No problem. It's my job, and my privilege, to train you and tell you everything that could help you survive," Jennifer says. "I earned this, and I'm happy to do it."

 _Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV_

I get on the train and head to my cabin. I splash some water on my face and head out into the dining car. I find our mentor, Jennifer White. She's blonde haired, with blue eyes. She's quite attractive. I love Diamond, of course, but a guy notices things.

"Hi, Topaz!" Jennifer says, in a friendly tone.

"Hi! Jennifer, right?" I say.

"Yup, Jennifer," Jennifer says. "Please, take a seat." I take a seat, and she smiles at me.

"You already knew my name," I say.

"I was at the Reaping. What, do you think I don't pay attention?" She asks.

"No, of course not. I was just… surprised, I guess," I say, trying to cover up my mistake.

"It's fine," she laughs. "While we wait for Satin, have some food. It's delicious." I pick up a breadstick and start to eat it. "So, I guess this is my time to be alone with you. I need to get to know you better. Do you think you can win? Do you have a girlfriend at home? What are you like? Is anyone better than you?" I finish chewing my breadstick end, swallow it, and take a moment to consider my answers.

"Yes, I do. Sort of. I've had a crush on her for the longest time, and today she told me she knew and that she likes me back. We're planning to get married after both of us win the Games. I'm strong. I'm confident. I'm smart. I'm humble. No," I say, smiling.

"That's good. I see. Married before you even date, huh? Okay, whatever floats your boat. I see. Clearly. That's the wrong answer," Jennifer says. "People are better than you. Or, at least, they can be. Next question: Do you deserve to win?"  
"Yes," I answer, confidently.

"Wrong answer," Jennifer says. "You don't deserve to win. No more than Satin does. No more than the girl from two or the guy from twelve. Nobody _deserves_ to win. People _do_ win, but they don't _deserve_ to. I didn't deserve to win. No more than Rose, the girl from twelve whose throat I slit. She looked at me. She was asking why. Asking me, why, why I had to kill her. Why I hadn't helped her. Why I hadn't given her chance. I still remember her face, with blood spouting from her neck and sputtering out of her mouth. I still remember her eyes, staring right at mine, asking why. Did I deserve to win any more than she did? Or any more than my supposed allies whose throats I slit in the night? Or the boy I used? No. They all deserved to win as much as I did. But _I_ won. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. Okay. I don't deserve to win," I say. I don't know. She doesn't sound right, but she won, so I should trust her. Right?

"Good. If you think you deserve to win, that's the fastest path to death. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Wow. Satin is really taking her time. I wonder when she'll be- ah! There she is! Ah, Satin. You're finally here, I see," Jennifer says. She turns to me. "What can I say? Women always need their bathroom time."

After we finish doing our threat assessment, Satin goes to her room, saying that she's tired and is going to take a quick nap before we arrive at the Capitol. I head back to my room too and am starting to close the door when I notice that Jennifer has followed me. Or, to be more accurate, I knew that she was following me, what surprised me was when she stopped in front of the door of my cabin.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I thought we might have a little fun..." she says. Jennifer pulls off her shirt.

"Oh! Uh… Jennifer, I told you, I have a girlfriend," I say, surprised.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Jennifer says, moving towards me.

"No. No, Jennifer. No. I'm a good boyfriend. No," I say, shaking my head and backing up as she still keeps moving closer to me.

"Fine," she says and puts her shirt back on. "There's always that boy from two. Or that one from three," she says, a wistful tone in her voice.

"Jennifer, I want you to know, it's not that you're not attractive, it is true that I have a girlfriend. I don't want to hurt Diamond. Okay?" I say.

"Yeah, I get it," Jennifer says.

"So, Jennifer, I have to ask," I say. "You could have any man you wanted in the District. You're a Hunger Games victor, and you're young and attractive. Men, including me if I didn't have Diamond, would be falling over themselves for you. Why Tributes?" I ask.

"That's just the thing, Topaz. I don't like all of those men. Or any of them. I've gone out with a few of them, but they're all insincere douche bags. None of them were nice. They all wanted me because I was hot and a victor. None of them were the kind of guy I wanted a long term relationship with. I'm still looking, but in the meantime, a woman has needs," Jennifer says.

"I see," I say. "I get it. Here's a little holdover," I kiss her, and then close the door.

 _Rianna Meade –16- -D3- POV_

After the Justice Building, I am driven to the train station. I get out of the car and pose with the other Tribute for pictures. I get on the train. I look around. I have no idea where to go. Titanium goes off down the hallway in one direction. I stand there until I see a Capitol servant.

"Where is my room?" I ask.

"Third door on the left down the hall, that way, ma'am," the Capitol servant says, pointing down the hall in the same direction Titanium went.

"Thank you," I say, and head down the hall. I find my room and enter it. It's so big. It's like a small house. There's a huge bathroom, bedroom, and dressing area. I decide to take a shower and get a change of clothes. I do and head to the dining car. The District Three mentor, Jack Snow, and the other Tribute, Titanium, are already there. Jack is a 20-year-old, brown haired, brown eyed man. He won his Hunger Games at seventeen.

"Hi," I say, uncertainly.

"Hi..." Jack says.

"Rianna. Rianna Meade," I say.

"Ah. Right. Hello, Rianna. I'm Jack," Jack says.

"Hi, Jack. And you are… Titanium, right?" I ask.

"Titanium, yes," Titanium says.

"Wonderful," Jack says. "Now we can get down to business. First matter of business, Rianna, have you been training?"

"No, I haven't," I say.

"Okay. So, keeping that in mind, would you two like to be coached separately or together?" Jack asks. I look at Titanium. He looks at me.

"Separately," we both say at the same time.

"Okay, then. We should get started watching the Reapings, then," Jack says.

After we finish watching the Reapings, I stand up to head back to my cabin.

"Hey, little girl. Where are you going?" Titanium asks.

"Back to my cabin," I say.

"That's fine," Titanium says. "What was that about, collapsing at the Reaping?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I say. Titanium gets up.

"Why? Are you afraid, little girl?" Titanium asks. He's right in front of me. Suddenly Jack is in between us. I feel his hand on my chest, and the distance between me and Titanium suddenly increases.

"Apologize to the lady. Now," Jack says, looking at Titanium.

"For what? That little whore doesn't deserve-"

"Now, for calling her a whore. Before, for getting in her face and calling her little girl. Apologize now," Jack says.

"Why?" Titanium asks.

"Because you always treat a lady with respect," Jack says.

"I'm going to kill her. Why should I 'treat her with respect'?" Titanium asks.

"Because a lady always deserves respect. Even one who you plan to kill. Up until the moment you kill her," Jack says.

"Fine," Titanium spits the words. "I apologize."

"Good," Jack says and steps back. "Now, Rianna, feel free to head back to your room. It's been a long day. Titanium and I will talk about his strategy. Okay?"

"Okay," I say, and head back to my room.

 _Titanium Sparks –18- -D3- POV_

After the Justice Building, I pose with the pathetic girl in the door of the train. Then I get on, wash up, and head to dinner, where I find my mentor, Jack Snow, waiting for me. I introduce myself to Jack. We talk about my strategy, which essentially consists of joining the careers and killing the rest of them before they kill me. Then Rianna shows up, and Jack acts like a complete jerk when I give her a piece of my mind. I head back to my room.

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

After the Justice Building, two Peacekeepers come, put me in a car, and take me to the train. I get out of the car and pose with the other Tribute, (Kai, I think?) for pictures. After the pictures, we get on the train. Kai starts to head to his cabin.

"Wait!" I say. "Kai, right?" I ask, and extend my hand. "I'm Brooke."

"Yeah, Kai. Nice to meet you, Brooke," Kai says, and shakes my hand.

"So, Kai, I'll get right to it. Why did you volunteer?" I ask.

"I thought you might ask that. Come into my room," he says. We enter his room. He takes a minute to look around, and then motions to the bed. "Please, sit down," Kai says.

"Uh… Okay," I say, taken by surprise at his kindness. I sit down on the bed. Kai stands in front of me.

"Okay. There was a girl," Kai says.

"There was a girl when?" I ask.

"About a year ago. Anyway, her name was Galia. She was the most beautiful woman ever. She had red hair, sort of like yours, but darker. Anyway, I loved her. She didn't know. She volunteered for the Games. Her best friend, Mary, got Reaped. I didn't get a chance to tell her how I felt. I thought she had good odds, but during the Bloodbath, she was getting supplies, and this girl from Five, Tiffany, snuck up behind her. She stabbed her in the back. Right through the chest," Kai says. I nod. "As if that wasn't bad enough, Tiffany carried her off into the forest. Then she started skinning Galia. And she cut off her- her-" Kai starts to choke.

"It's fine. I get it," I say.

"No. I'm fine. I'm fine. Anyway, that was apparently the most entertaining thing happening at that moment, so I had to watch every sickening moment. And the best part? Apparently, that was one of the most entertaining kills of the Games. They kept replaying parts of it. My only condolence is that Tiffany's throat got slit right after Galia's cannon fired. The girl from District One got her." Kai finishes his story. It was obviously hard for him to tell me. I'm amazed that he got through so much of it without pausing, except for that one part. I'm also amazed that he's not crying right now. If I loved somebody that much and had to see that happen to them, I almost certainly wouldn't be able to talk about it without crying.

"I'm so sorry, Kai," I say. "So why did you volunteer?"

"I couldn't watch anybody else die. So I decided to be in the Games," Kai says.

"You realize that you might have to kill somebody. If you do, you'll see them die. If you have an ally, you'll probably have to watch them die. If you win, you still have to watch the Games," I say.

"Fair point. But what are the odds that I'll win? Even if I do have to watch other people die, it will be the last thing I ever do," Kai says.

"Touche. I see. I'm so sorry, Kai," I say, and hug him.

"Thanks, Brooke," he says.

"I guess we should go meet our mentor," I say.

"And get some dinner. I'm starving," Kai says.

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

I and Brooke walk down the hall to the dining car. I see our mentor, Margaret Adams, waiting for us. Margaret is a 30-year-old, brown-haired woman. She won her Hunger Games at 18.

"You're finally here," Margaret says. "Good. Now we can get started. You are Brooke Nash and Kai Presley, 15 and 18 respectively. Brooke was Reaped and Kai volunteered. I don't care why. My job is to train you as efficiently as I can, and that's just what I'm going to do. My name is Margaret Adams, but from now on you will call me ma'am. You will only speak when spoken to. If I ask you a question, you will respond with 'yes, ma'am' or 'no, ma'am'. Is that understood?"

I and Brooke hesitate for a second before replying, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, let's start with a threat assessment..."

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

After I leave the Justice Building, the Peacekeepers put me in a car and drive me to the train station. I pose for pictures with the other Tribute. I get on the train and immediately head to my cabin. I strip off my clothes and shower. Then I put on a t-shirt and shorts and fall face-down on the bead. _I got Reaped for the Hunger Games. I pickpocketed my District partner, a strong guy who looks like he's been training. Now he wants to kill me. The Tribute I'll be spending a whole train ride with wants to kill me. Just great. I'll have to find some allies as Abby said. She's a smart girl. I hope she doesn't screw it up with Sam. If Sam screws it up,_ _I'll kill him. Even if I'm dead. Maybe I should work on my story. I could talk to my mentor, but I don't want to be around the guy I pickpocketed._ I flip over. I wonder if there's any way I could get my old notebook back. Then I realize that it was in my dress. It's pretty small, so I take it everywhere with me. I go to where my old dress is on the floor and grab the miniature notebook and miniature pencil. I stare at the story.

" _Stop!" Luna shouts, brandishing her sword at the glowering combat machine._

 _The automaton stops and its front half opens. A man steps out. "Princess, I can explain," he says._

" _George?" Luna asks, surprised._

" _I… I..."…_

 _I wonder what George will say. I need more ideas for that. Whatever. I'll think about it later. In the meantime, I'll write a little more about Milky Way_

" _I know all of you!" Sofie says._

" _I know you, but I don't know the rest of these people," Caleb says._

" _I know you, but yeah, I'm blanking on the other people here," Abby says._

" _Same here," Sam says._

" _Why are we here?" Sofie asks._

" _Where is here?" Abby asks._

 _Outline for Milky Way:_

 _I think I'll make Abby fall in love with Sam, just like real life. I'll take Caleb for myself. Anyway, I have to figure out how they'll get home… Hmmm… What if they find a giant 'cannon' that sort of slingshots them back… Maybe…_

I wonder what to write. Should I work on _L_ _un_ _a and George_ or _Milky Way_? I don't know. Maybe _Milky Way._

" _I don't know. We should figure that out," Sofie says._

" _You are in the Mahn'Haqq sector of the galaxy, the Shell system specifically."_

" _Where did that voice come from?" Sofie asks._

" _I am the onboard computer system_ _of this ship."_

" _A talking computer?" Abby asks. "How is that even possible?"_

" _I don't know, but I imagine that..."_

 _Knock! Knock!_ Two sharp raps at the door snap me out of my writing revere.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"Your mentor, Ashley Cooper," Ashley says. Ashley has brown hair in a side braid, brown eyes, and tan skin. She won her Hunger Games at 15. She's 20 now.

"Oh. Ashley, come in," I say. Ashley enters the room. "Hi. Uh, sit down, I guess," I say.

"Thanks," Ashley says and sits down. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Just a little shocked, I guess. And now the other Tribute-"

"Spire"

"Spire- wants to kill me," I say.

"Why does Spire want to kill you?" Ashley asks.

"He didn't tell you? I pickpocketed him at the Reaping," I say.

"That might make someone angry," Ashley says.

"Yeah, and here anger means death," I say.

"Fair point. So that's why you didn't come to dinner," Ashley says. "You know the rules prohibit killing anybody before the Games begin. Not me, not you, not the President himself."

"Yeah. I didn't want him to kill me. Wait, we have rules besides don't stop off your pedestal and die?" I ask.

"Yeah. If any Tribute tries to murder anybody, they won't succeed, but they will be paralyzed for 5 seconds after the gong rings. I shouldn't have told you that, but I figure you're not going to try to murder anybody, so… Also, any false accusation will get you the same punishment," Ashley says.

"Thanks, Ashley," I say.

"No problem, Sofie. I like you," Ashley says. "We should really talk about some strategy, though. I brought videos of the Reapings," she says and pulls out a small television. "Let's start with District 1..."

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

After I leave the Justice Building and Rachel, I get in a car and am driven to the train station where I pose for pictures with Sophia. When we get on the train, she immediately disappears into her cabin. I head to the dining car. I'm pretty hungry. My mentor, Ashley Cooper, an attractive twenty-year-old is waiting there for me. We introduce ourselves and talk. She tells me to play up my physical strengths and cockiness in my interview. We go through a threat assessment together.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

After the Justice Building, I'm driven to the train station, where I pose for pictures with _Lindsay._ I can't believe that she's the Female Tribute. As I stand next to her, smiling, I have to resist the urge to punch her in the face. I think I'll kill her. In the Bloodbath. The little idiot probably won't even fight back. We get on the train. Lindsay heads to her cabin. I don't expect to see her again. I head to the dining car to meet my mentor. Adam Kane sits there, waiting for me. Adam is a 20-year old man who won his Hunger Games at 14. He has brown hair and green eyes.

"Hi, Adam," I say.

"Hi. I don't know your name, and I don't care. I really don't care if you live or die. Okay? I could care less. So, if you're going to eat here, eat your food silently. If you want to watch the Reapings, take your food to your room."

"I thought that you were supposed to train me. Give me advice," I say.

"Maybe I could. Look, I won the Games. That doesn't mean I want to help you win. I could care less if you win or lose. Okay?" Adam says.

"Fine," I say. I grab a plate and head back to my room. I watch the Reapings on a computer that one of the Capitol servants gives me.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

After the Justice Building, I'm driven to the train station, where I pose for pictures with Edmund. Then I get onto the train and head to my cabin. I flop down face first on the bed. I don't know when, but eventually, I fall asleep.

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV_

After I leave the Justice Building, the Peacekeepers put me in a car and drive me to the train station. Then I stand in the door of the train with Cyder, posing for pictures. I get on the train and head to my cabin. I shower and put on a blue ball gown. I figure that I should like nice for my first meeting with my mentor. I walk out into the hallway and see Cyder emerging from his room in a suit.

"You look nice," I say.

"Thanks. You look… stunning," Cyder says.

"Thanks," I say, as we start to walk down the hall. "Excited to meet our mentor?" I ask.

"I guess. Nervous, mostly," Cyder says.

"Why?" I ask. "Afraid she won't like you?"

"I guess. I just don't want to make the wrong impression," Cyder says.

"I get it," I say, as we enter the dining car.

"You're here!" Our mentor, Sophia O'Neil says. Sophia is a red-haired, blue-eyed woman. She's 19. She won her Games at 17. Sophia runs up to me and Cyder and hugs me enthusiastically. Then she hugs Cyder, who blushes a little bit. "Aurora, Cyder! So nice to meet you! I think you'll do well!" Sophia says. "So, how are you both doing?"

"Uh..." I'm taken off guard by her friendliness. "I'm doing pretty good, considering that I just got picked to die."

"Oh, don't say that! You'll do great! How are you doing, Cyder?" Sophia says.

"I'm doing good," Cyder says.

"Wonderful! Please, sit down! Have some food!" Sophia says.

"Thanks," I say, and pull up a chair. "So, how are you?"

We talk through dinner and then watch videos of the Reapings. I head back to my room, and Cyder follows me.

"Aurora, can we talk?"

 _Cyder Lamentain –17- -D7- POV_

"Aurora, can we talk?" I ask.

"Sure," Aurora says. "What about?"

"Let's go into my room," I say. We enter my room. "Sit down," I say, motioning to the bed. Aurora sits down. I sit down in a plastic chair across from her. "So, I know that we know each other, a little bit, like..."

"Acquaintances?" Aurora offers me the word I was looking for.

"Yes, acquaintances. Look, I don't know how to get to the point, so I'll just say it. I want us to be allies," I say.

"You know that if we are the last two left, I will kill you," Aurora says.

"Yes. And you know that I'll kill you," I say.

"Expected and understood," Aurora says. "But, unless we're the last two people left, we won't kill each other. Deal?" Aurora extends her hand.

"Deal," I say, and we shake hands.

"So… I should know a bit more about you," Aurora says. "Siblings? Girlfriend?"

"Yes. A wonderful brother named Cedar and a wonderful little sister named Cypress," I say. "Sort of. The girl I've had a crush for the past two years, Juniper just told me she felt the same way about me."

"How just?" Aurora asks.

"In the Justice Building just," I say.

"Ah," Aurora says.

"Yeah. I kissed her too. My first kiss," I say. "Something good to have in the bag before I die."

"Oh, come on now. Sophia told us not to act like that," Aurora says.

"Yeah, but, Aurora, you know that nobody from District Seven ever wins," I say.

"Sophia did. We could too," Aurora says.

"You mean you or I could," I say. "Only one victor per Games."

"You're right. You could win."

"Or you could."

"Who do you think would win, if it came down to just the two of us?" Aurora asks.

"I don't know. I don't know your skills. Or mine, really," I say. "I just want to let you know that I won't be the gentlemen and sacrifice myself for you. At least not right now. If I get to know you better, maybe. And, Aurora?"

"Yes?"

"You have to promise me something. If you win, use some of your Capitol money to take care of my family. Please?" I say.

"Of course, Cyder. And the same from you?" Aurora asks.

"Of course, Aurora," I say. "Thank you."

"And you too, Cyder," Aurora says. "I'm going to go wash my face. It feels a little dirty. See you at the Capitol!" She hugs me and leaves the room.

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV_

 _Oh my goodness, that was exhausting,_ I think. I'm normally very quiet around strangers, but I figured that I had to appear socially normal for my mentor and ally. Besides, I need to get to know them. I get back to my room, and splash some water on my face, just as the train arrives at the Capitol. _Of course. I don't even get five minutes of peace and quiet._

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

After the Justice Building, I'm driven to the train station. I pose with Twyler. I get on the train and head to my cabin. I splash water on my face, just now taking in the fact that I have been Reaped. _I might die. I'm too young to die. Actually, I'm going to die because I'm so young. I don't know. I shouldn't think like that. The girl who won last year was only 13. I should go to meet my mentor. I'm going to have to be social. Great…_ I walk out of my cabin and into the dining car. Twyler and our mentor, Ginger Goodall, a 24-year-old blonde woman who won her Hunger Games 7 years ago at 17, are in an argument.

"You're supposed to keep me alive!" Twyler shouts.

"Maybe I should stab you with this knife!" Ginger shouts, and grabs a knife, waving it around wildly.

"Whoa, ladies, what's going on here?" I ask.

"This _lady_ wants to kill us!" Twyler shouts.

"Well, maybe I should if you keep bothering me!" Ginger shouts.

"That doesn't tell me what's going on here," I say. "Calm yourselves. Okay, Twyler, give me your side of the story."

"Okay. I walked in here and introduced myself. When I asked her if she had any advice she said that she wanted me to die so that her job would be done quickly. When I asked her what she meant she started shouting that she just wanted to be left alone and that if I wouldn't do that, maybe she should smash her bottle of vodka over my head to keep my quiet," Twyler says.

"Okay. Ginger?" I ask.

"She's pretty much right, except that I asked politely to be left alone, and she kept badgering me. Then it escalated from there," Ginger says.

"Okay. Look, Ginger, I get that you want to be left alone, but you are supposed to be our mentor. How about this. I and Twyler will grab some food and eat in our cabins, but tomorrow you'll start training us. Anytime you want to be left alone, you can be, except for this. You get an hour of alone time for every hour you train us, okay?" I ask.

"Fine," Ginger spits the word. "Now get out of here."

"Yes, ma'am," I say, and grab some food.

"Get out!"

 _Twyler Onzui –16- -D8- POV_

After we leave the dining car, I try to talk to Kaine.

"So, it's Kaine, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any family?" I ask.

"Yes."

"You're lucky. I don't have any family. But my friend Calico took me in so I live with him now. I was an-"

"Look, Twyler, I'm sure you're a perfectly nice girl, but I don't really want to talk. I'm going to sit down in my cabin and eat my food alone," Kaine says.

"Fine," I say, and head to my cabin.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- D9- POV_

After the Justice Building, the Peacekeepers drive me to the train station where I pose for pictures with my District partner. Then I get on the train. I head to the dining car. I introduce myself to my mentor, George Nemesis, who's a brown-haired, brown-eyed man. He won his Hunger Games 13 years ago at the age of 12. He's 25 now. We talk for a little bit. As the conversation/threat assessment is ending, he says,

"Look, Azalea. I like you, I really do. Win for me, okay? You can do it. I did."

"Thanks, Harold," I say. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too, Azalea." I leave the dining car and head back to my cabin for a shower before we arrive at the Capitol. As I get in the shower, I wonder about the other Tribute. I haven't seen him this whole ride…

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV._

I enter my cabin and collapse on the bed.  
"What did you two do?" I ask. "First Mom dies and Sunnoria is sick, and now I've volunteered for the Hunger Games! Explain this to me! In a note!"

 _Miller Blush –17- -D9- POV_

I follow Angus's demands and write a note.

 _Dear Angus,_

 _I volunteered us for the Games. I know that there's nothing left for us here. Sunnoria is as good as dead and Mom is dead. In the Games, at least we know that everybody, including us (most likely), is going to die. I hope we have fun. If you want, I can always just take over._

– _Miller  
Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

"Sunnoria is not as good as dead! And even if she is, you're not taking over!" I shout after I read1 Miller's note. Then I fall on my bed again and fall asleep.

 _Belinda Molser –15- -D10- POV_

After I leave the Justice Building, I am driven to the train station and pose for pictures with the other Tribute. I get on the train and have dinner with my mentor. We talk about strategy, but my mentor, Harold Cooper, a 28-year-old brown-haired, brown-eyed man who won his Hunger Games 13 years ago tries to emphasize that he just got lucky and is a normal guy.

 _Noah Jones –17- -D10- POV_

Harold tells me to focus on the fact that I'm a normal guy who just wants to win in my interview. If only he knew the truth…

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

I get on the train. I walk to my cabin. I flop down on the bed. Then I realize something. _I'm still wearing my wedding dress._ Oh my God. My wedding dress is on it's way to the Capitol, and so am I. How will I keep track of it? I'm going to lose my wedding dress. Oh no. Then I wonder if I'm being silly. I could die and I'm worried about a silly dress. Then I realize how important it is. Then I realize that if I survive for it to be important, I can buy a new one. Still, there's something special about this dress… Then it hits me. Maybe I can use that to get me sponsors! If I play up that angle, maybe get my stylists to design something wedding dress-esque for me, maybe that'll get me more sponsors! I need to talk to my mentor! I almost run out of my room, before I trip on the long dress. _Then again, maybe I should change first._

After I change, I head to the dining car to meet my mentor, Isabella Jones, victor of last year's Hunger Games. She's only fourteen.

"Hi, Athena!" Isabella says as I enter the car, and hugs me. I'm taken off guard. "You need to work on not being surprised so easily," Isabella says. "Just kidding, although remember to always have your guard up in the Games, okay?"  
"Uh… Okay?" I say, still shocked by the sudden attack.

"So, how are you?" Isabella asks, sitting down.

"Good, you?" I say, suddenly remembering my manners.

"Good. I wonder where Calyx is," Isabella says. "Oh well. Let's start. So, what's your strategy?"

"I don't know… I haven't thought about it yet… But I did have one idea," I say, suddenly remembering why I came here. "That dress I was wearing-"

"Your wedding dress"

"How did you know?" I ask, surprised.

"White, long, and clearly was supposed to have a veil. The footage of you talking with your boyfriend- sorry fiance- helped," Isabella says.

"You saw that?" I ask, shocked. "How?"

"The cameras take in the whole thing," she says. "Actually, I happened to walk by and overhear your conversation. I thought you seemed interesting and I might want to talk to you after I got back from the Capitol, but obviously, that didn't quite go according to plan."

"Oh," I say, relieved that my private conversations weren't being broadcast to all of Panem. "So, Isabella, I was going to say that I think that we should play up the I was going to get married angle. Have my stylists play that up with the clothes they design."

"I like it!" Isabella says. "Now, as far as strategy, I think that you should try to focus on ranged weapons, throwing knives and bows and arrows. You don't look like a close-up fighter. There's nothing bad about that, you should just be aware of that."

"Why do you think I'm not a 'close-up fighter'?" I ask.

"Are you?"

"I don't know. Let's find out," I say. I stand up.

"Now? Fine," Isabella says and stands up. I throw a punch. She grabs my arm and spins me around her. She grabs a butter knife from the table and holds it to my throat. "You're dead. Beat by a fourteen-year-old girl who hasn't trained in a year in five seconds. Focus on ranged weapons. I know you might think that I don't know what I'm talking about because I'm younger than you, but trust me, I won, so I must know something, if not a lot." Isabella releases me and I stumble before regaining my footing.

"Okay," I say. "Ranged weapons it is."

"Good," Isabella says. "I like you, Athena. You have spunk."

"Thanks. You too," I say.

 _Calyx Anther –17- -D11- POV_

I get on the train and head to my cabin. I shower and change my clothes. Then I sit on the bed for a few minutes. I know that I need to get up and meet my mentor, but I'm not particularly eager to. I feel like I'd just be hurrying my inevitable death. Nerveless, I get up and head to the dining car, where I, the other Tribute and our mentor talk about strategy.

 _Abi Hendrix –_ _14- -D12- POV_

After I leave the Justice Building, I'm driven to the train station, where I pose for pictures with Wyatt. It's all I can do to keep from crying. When I get on the train, I enter my cabin. Wyatt follows me.

"Abi..." Wyatt says.

"Wyatt..." I say. "How?"

"Why?" Wyatt asks. "Never mind. I know why. That's why I love you. You're so… selfless. But why? Why can't you just be selfish? For me?" Wyatt asks.

"If you think about it, it's good that I was selfless, this time," I say.

"How is that?" Wyatt asks.

"You would have been Reaped either way," I say. "Wait! Did you just say you love me?"

"I guess I did," Wyatt says. "Why?"

"I don't know. You've just never said that before," I say.

"Do you love me, Abi?" Wyatt asks.

"I do. I love you, Wyatt Fritz," I say.

"I love you too, Abi Hendrix," Wyatt says. We kiss. "I guess you're right about that. I still would have been happier if you had been safe and sound at home."

"I wouldn't be, though. At least I get to spend my last days with you," I say.

"But I could have won, and we could have been together," Wyatt says.

"Maybe. But you could have died, and I wouldn't have been with you for your last days," I say.

"Fair point. Should we go meet Haymitch?" Wyatt asks.

"Let's go," I say.

 _Wyatt Fritz –14- -D12- POV_

After my conversation with Abi, we walk into the dining car. Haymitch and Effie are there, Effie eating in that overly polite way that only rich people can pull off, and Haymitch drinking from a bottle of rum. I almost laugh at the contrast between the two of them.

"Ah, you two are here!" Effie says excitedly.

After a few minutes, the question of whether we want to be coached separately or together comes up. I look at Abi and she looks at me.

"Together," we both say in unison.

"Why?" Haymitch asks.

"You see, we're in love," I say.

"Of course," Haymitch says.

 **A/N: This was the longest chapter, both in terms of word count and wait times, but I hoped you liked it! So, new rules for Sponsoring:**

 **You can ask for anything you want within reason and I can deny anything I want if it's not within reason. Example: Not within reason: Full SWAT gear complete with a P90. In Reason: Water bottle, small knife.**

 **If you have an account, please just PM me to keep your item secret.**

 **If you do not have an account, please just leave I review. However: please note that I will delete your review to keep your item secret. Your Tribute will still get your item, but your review won't sure up. This is just to give the whole thing a little bit of secrecy.**

 **So, questions:**

 **Who do you like most? Who do you think will win? What alliances and romances do you see? Did you like the mentors? Are you ready for the training and interviews? Did you like this chapter?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chariot Rides

**Chapter 22.**

 **Chariot Rides**

 **A/N: This one is going to be a little shorter, I think. Next up is training and then interviews! The first part of this chapter should have been on the last one, but it was getting long and honestly I forgot. Keep in mind that until we get to Peter, this is going on at the same time as the train rides.**

 _Chyrl Fritz –40- -D4R- POV_

After the Reaping, a Peacekeeper walks up to me, while I'm walking home with my son, Ethan.

"Ma'am, I have to inform you that your son, Wyatt Fritz, has been Reaped for the 70th annual Hunger Games as the Male Tribute from District 12. He will be arriving at the Capitol soon," the Peacekeeper says. I'm shocked. _Wyatt?_ My baby?

"Is there any way I can talk to him?" I ask.

"Normally no, but because this is a special circumstance, you can write him a letter which will reach him before the Games start."

"Okay, thank you," I say, and continue to walk home, wondering what I'll write in my letter.

 _Katherina Gregor –33- -D11R- POV_

 _Athena, that little b-! She betrayed me!_ I think, as another Peacekeeper comes to give the one who holds me some news.

"The sister's testimonies match. She's guilty," the new Peacekeeper says.

"Okay. I'll take her to the squad," the old one says.

"I'll come with you. I want to watch this," the new one says. _The sisters? Alia and Ainsley! The little b-s! How dare they rat their own mother out!_ As we walk out of the building they were holding me in, I saw Alia and Ainsley. They wave at me, cheerily.

"Bye, Katherina!" They say.

"How dare you call me that! I am your mother!" I shout.

"What? We couldn't hear you!" Ainsley shouts, cupping her hand over her ear. I see my own daughters laugh as I'm taken to my death. We arrive at the place where I'm going to die. Four Peacekeepers stand, holding rifles. The two escorting me push me down to my knees.

"Aim!" One of the Peacekeepers says. All the rifle barrels point at me.

"Fire!"

 _Alia Gregor Fallow –15- -D11R- POV_

"That was sort of mean," Ainsley says to me as we walk away, after seeing Katherina dragged off to her execution.

"I guess, but she deserved it," I say. "She killed Frair and tried to kill you, me, and Athena. Now she's going to die for what she did."

"Yeah, but waving at her?"

"It's my own little revenge. You know, I think I should change my last name from Gregor to Fallow. What do you think?"

 _Peter Mallard –35- -Capitol Resident- -Head Gamemaker- POV_

I sit in my office and watch as the chariots emerge one-by-one from the stable. The pair from District 1 are in silver skin-tight suits. The pair from two are in gray suits, with a skirt for the girl and pants for the boy. The pair from three are in suits designed to look like conveyor belts. I'm not a big fan. The pair from four are holding hands and each have a trident in the other. They're dressed in what appears to be netting. The couple from five are dressed in clothes that look like they're made of multiple small pieces of fabric sewn together. The two from six are in generic yellow costumes. The pair from seven are dressed like trees, the pair from eight like water, the pair from nine like wheat, the pair from ten like cows… Really, cows? Come on. The pair from eleven are dressed… the girl's in a wedding dress, and the guy's in a tuxedo. The pair from twelve are in coal miner outfits. Again. When will we get some new stylists? You know, there's this one style student called Cinna who's work I like. I make a mental note to mention him to President Snow. I know I made a complete fool out of myself the first time I met him, but next time I'll do better.

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

I walk into the chariot. I'm dressed in a netting that's mostly decorative, as it shows pretty much all of my body. My undergarments do all the actual work of covering me. I have a trident in my left hand. So stereotypical. District Four, fishermen. I look at Kai. He's in the same sort of get-up as I am.

"The Capitol really needs some new blood, don't they?" I ask.

"I agree," Kai says. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"Sounds good," I say.

After the ordeal finishes, I realize that I'm holding hands with Kai.

"Oh, sorry!" I say, and release his hand.

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

After the chariot ride, I realize that Brooke is holding my hand.

I wonder if I should say something, but before I can decide, she says, "Oh, sorry!" and releases my hand. She blushes a little bit.

"It's fine," I say, blushing a bit myself.

 **A/N: Okay, so that was short, but Chariot rides are sort of boring, sorry. Especially since I couldn't come up with any good costumes. Next time, I'm putting that as a question on the form, otherwise it will be horrible again! I hope you didn't hate this chapter and are looking forward the next one! Next up is training, then interviews, then the Games! One question: How much detail should I go into for the training?**


	23. Important Update!

I've started a blog which will have future writing updates, link in my profile. For now, here's the first one. Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long!

Hello dear readers,

If you're reading this, it's (probably) because you came here from fanfiction, and you're interested in my Hunger Games SYOT, Heat. If so, worry not, I bear good news!

First off, I know that I've been gone for a while, I've been going through a lot of personal stuff, which I won't go into detail about, because you don't want to hear about it, I'm sure. I haven't had a lot of time for writing, and in all honesty, with all the stuff going on, I sort of forgot about this project. Recently, actually, I got an email from fanfiction saying that someone had posted a review to my story. I was really surprised. This person's review was short and to the point. It asked, "Is this dead?". When I saw that, I realized that I still had readers who cared. So I decided, you know what, for once in my life, I'm actually going to finish a story. So, everybody, thank Anna for posting the review that got me back into this. Also, as if that weren't sign enough, earlier today, I got another email saying that one of my first readers, reviewers, and Tribute submitters, Hawkmaid, had posted a story. That made me even more determined to finish the story.

Anyway, now that you know why I decided to start back, I should probably talk about the actual story. I still have my outline, and the start of the next chapter, so I've jumped right back in the deep end. It is a little hard though, trying to remember what I had planned for training, as I never had that written down, only the Games. So, after the first 7,000 words or so, the training chapter might get a bit rough, and I'll probably do a bit more summarising. Honestly, another reason that I didn't work on it for a bit was because of writer burnout. You can only write, "we took the elevator to the training floor," so many times before it gets old. So, as I said, I'll summarise a bit more, so that we can all get onto the action, the Games. I'm looking forward to that, and I think it should be fun! See you all with another chapter soon!

P.S. Also, thank Hawkmaid and her stunning website for giving me the idea for this blog.


	24. Training and Gamemaker Sessions

**Chapter 23**

 **Training**

 **A/N: Thanks to everybody for your amazing Tributes! Special thanks to Hawkmaid, my new editor for making this chapter even better! Give her a hand! Seriously, put down your phone, computer, tablet, or whatever you use to read this and put your hands together. Than take them apart and put them together again. Make sure it makes a sound. Repeat between 100-1000 times. Maybe if we all do that, she'll hear it wherever she is!**

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

After the chariot rides, we eat dinner. Margaret, being Margaret, makes no idle conversation, which means pretty much no conversation. After dinner, I go up to Brooke.

"Hey, Brooke, can we talk?" I ask.

"Sure, Kai. Where?" Brooke responds.

"Up on the roof," I say.

"Can we go up there?" Brooke asks.  
"I think so. Otherwise the elevator wouldn't have a button for it, right?" I ask.

"Fair point," Brooke says.

As we arrive on the roof, Brooke asks, "What did you want to talk about, Kai?"

"I noticed that we… uh… we seemed to work well together… and I was wondering if… if we could be allies," I say, rushing to finish my sentence with one breath. I say it so fast that I'm not sure if Brooke understands me.

"What?" Brooke asks. "Just kidding," she says and laughs. "Of course. Allies it is. So, do you have any secret skills I should know about?"

"I don't think so," I say. "Except for the obvious ones. Strength, spears, tridents. You?"

"No. Just the obvious ones," Brooke says. "It's nice up here," she comments idly.

"I agree," I say and walk over to one of the edges of the roof, but I trip before I get there. I feel my body falling forward and see the edge of the roof racing closer.

"Kai!" Brooke shouts, her voice suddenly edged with panic. _Oh no. I'm going to die before I even get into the Games,_ I think with dismay.

"Ow!" I shout, as I hit an invisible wall head first. I feel pain through my forehead, but realize that my forward momentum has stopped. "Ow," I mutter again, and roll over to find Brooke standing over me.

"Are you alright?" She asks.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. My forehead hurts a little bit," I say.

"I thought you were going to die," Brooke says, as she helps me up, her shaky voice giving away her terror. "I guess they have some sort of force field on the roof to keep people from falling off. Or jumping."

"I guess," I say. "Thanks. I wonder if it's always up," I stare at the edge of the roof where I just almost died. "Or if it only responds to high impacts."

"I don't know. Maybe we should find out," Brooke says, thoughtfully.

"I agree," I say, and grab Brooke by the arms. I pick her up off her feet and run towards the edge of the roof. She collides with the force field, stopping me dead in my tracks. Brooke laughs.

"Are you trying to kill me?" She asks.

"No," I say, laughing. "Good to know that the Capitol is taking care of us."

"I agree," Brooke says. "We should head back. Need a good night's sleep before training begins."

"I agree," I say. We ride the elevator back down to our floor.

"Good night, Kai," Brooke says, at the point where the hall to our rooms splits.

"Good night, Ga- Brooke," I say, and then quickly enter my room, closing the door behind me. I flop down on the bed. _Oh my God. Did I just call her Galia? No. No, it was just a slip-up. Just because I'm tired. No other reason. No other reason. No other reason. Do I really believe that? No. Yes. Yes I do. I love Galia and will never love anyone else. Never._ I fall asleep without showering or even changing my clothes.

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

I get back in my room after my rooftop conversation with Kai. _Did he_ _almost_ _call me Galia? No. I'm sure it was just a slip-up,_ I think. Then I get up from the bed, strip down and shower before I go to bed. No matter how hard I try, I can't get Kai out of my mind. I finally fall asleep.

I wake up on the morning of my first day of training. The pants and the long-sleeved t-shirt left for me are comfortable and easy to move in. I dress and head down to breakfast. At the table, Margaret asks us if we would like to be coached separately or together.

"Of course," she says, "you'll be able to see each other in training, and you won't see each others Gamemaker sessions, but this just determines whether I can talk to both of you about strategy together, or one at a time. If you plan to ally or join the careers, then I would recommend training together. If you're planning to go at it alone, then you probably want to train separately." I look to Kai and he looks at me.

"Together," we say simultaneously.

"Okay. So, are you planning to ally or are you planning on joining the careers? I wouldn't recommend joining the careers, because Brooke is much too young. Kai, you might be able to do it. And it's together, ma'am," Margaret says, buttering a bagel.

"Allies, ma'am," I say. "We talked about it last night."

"Of course you did," Margaret says, and takes a bite of her bagel. "So, what do you guys want to show the Gamemakers?"

"How I am supposed to know? We haven't started training yet. Ma'am." I say, impatiently.

Margaret sighs with annoyance. "Is there anything that you do, back in District Four, that you could use to help you in the Games? Something killing related, preferably?"

"Oh," I say, ashamed of myself for missing something so obvious. "Um… I'm good at throwing spears at nets. I can use a light trident pretty well too. Ma'am."

"Uh-huh," Margaret says, and puts more butter on her bagel. "Okay. Stay away from all of that. Show off one of those skills to the Gamemakers. Until then, what do you suck at? I mean, what are you completely, totally horrible at?"

"Uh… Climbing..." I say.

"Okay. Ever done anything survival related?" Margaret asks, taking another bite of her bagel. "Still not enough butter." She mutters under her breath. "This Capitol butter is not the same as the stuff back home," she says, and grabs a third container of butter. "Well?" She asks, clearly annoyed that I haven't answered her question with the zero seconds of time she has given me.

"No," I say.

"No, ma'am," Margaret snaps. "Oh, why do I even bother? It hasn't worked before, why should it work now? You know why I'm still doing this? Of course you do! District Four hasn't had a victor in 12 years! And you know why? It's all my fault! At first I was young and goofy, the sort of mentor the other Districts had! My first few Tributes didn't win, but I didn't think it was about me! Then, after seven years with no victories, I decided I had to change! So I tried this. This is what I've been like for the past four years! And look how well that worked out! I don't know what I can do differently," Margaret finally finishes and slumps in her chair, so that her head is almost below the table. She bites into her bagel. "I can't even butter a bagel right!" She says, and slumps further down into her chair.

I exchange a look with Kai. He looks absolutely shocked, but then says "Margaret, I'm sure it has nothing to do with your training. The Hunger Games are brutal, and sometimes Districts just go through a dry spell. It's fine, it's natural. Look, Margaret, I'm sure you're trying your best. That's all you can do. It's not that your coaching is bad, it's just that the other Districts have better people. Besides, it depends a lot on the Tributes you get, and for the past couple of years, they haven't exactly been the cream of the crop. Not to mention, there's a lot of luck involved. If someone walks into them in the forest or not, if they get the weapon they're looking for in the Bloodbath or not, if that weapon even exists in that arena, if they get killed by a pack of mutts, that sort of thing. You know what I'm saying?"

"Fair point," Margaret says, sitting up. "You're right. You know, maybe jelly would work better!" She says excitedly, and waves an Avox over. "Hey, can I get some strawberry jam over here? Thanks!" She says, as the Capitol servant rushes away. "So, Kai, what about you? What are you going to wow the Gamemakers with?"

"Pretty much the same stuff as Brooke, except that I'm not good with nets. I can't climb, but I am strong. I would say that I'm good with spears, tridents, and lifting heavy things. But I haven't used nets, and I'm bad at climbing," Kai says.

"Okay, sounds good. And you won't be able to hide easily. You have a big frame," Margaret says. "So, you should show the Gamemakers either spears or tridents, they like stuff that kills. Throwing weights around won't really impress them. Same as Brooke, stay away from that stuff in training. Have you done anything survival related?"

"No," Kai says.

"Okay, both of you, look at some of that stuff too. Got it?" Margaret asks.

"Got it," we both say.

After breakfast we take the elevator down to the training area. I step out of the elevator.

"Apparently, we're the first ones here," I say to Kai, noting the empty space. Mostly empty, at least. Trainers are milling around, setting up their stations.

"I guess," Kai says. "I wonder if- Ow! What was that?" He asks, and swats at his back, where a servant stands. I notice that there's now a big numeral 4 plastered to his back.

"My apologies, Sir," the servant says. I feel a small prick in my back and turn my head to see another servant putting a 4 on my back. Great. Now everyone will know who we are.

"Be a little more careful with those pins, well you?" I ask the servant, trying to hide my annoyance.

"Of course, ma'am. Sorry ma'am," the servant says.

"It's not me you have to worry about. It's the other Tributes," I say. As I speak, the pair from two emerge from the elevator. They're holding hands. I wonder what's going on there. Maybe nothing. After all, there was nothing going on between me and Kai in the chariot, but we were holding hands. Then again, a chariot is different from an elevator ride…

After fifteen minutes, all of the Tributes show up, two-by-two. The pair from ten are last, the pair from twelve second to last. Some women, apparently the lead trainer gives us instructions. It's all pretty simple stuff. Move around to whatever station your mentor wants, don't kill any other Tributes, and stuff like that. All very obvious information.

"Where should we go?" I ask Kai.

"Margaret said to do survival skill related, so… edible plants?" Kai asks.

"Sure," I say, and we walk over to the edible plants station.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

" _Fight! Fight!" My father shouts. He hits me again. Then he grabs a knife and runs it across me, from my shoulder to my hip. I scream. He stabs me in the hip. "Fight back, girl! You need to win! I want that money!" I'm bleeding from the cut and the stab wound he just gave me, in addition to the ones he gave me earlier in our training. He stabs me again, this time in the chest. I scream. Then he stabs me. Then he stabs me. Then he stabs me. Then he stabs me again. And again. And again. And again. I scream._

I bolt upright in bed, sweating and terrified. For a minute, I'm still in the living room with my father. Then I remember where I am. I'm in a bed, a very comfortable bed in the Capitol. I'm next to Arc. I carefully slip out of the bed and find that two outfits have been placed on my dresser. One of them is obviously for me, because of the small size of the clothes. A green shirt and plain black pants. The outfit for Arc is a gray shirt with the same black pants. I look down at my body. I see the scar from where my father cut me, going from my shoulder to my hip. I see the scar where he stabbed me. I see many of the other scars he's given me. Most of my scars are from my father. I only have two small ones from the Academy. I slip on the clothes and leave the room quietly.

I walk to breakfast, where my mentor, Iron Flint, is waiting. He's a 26 year old, blonde haired, blue-eyed man who won his Hunger Games eight years ago at eighteen. He went to the same academy, BlueClaw, that I went to. He was in the career pack, until he killed them all when there were only four other Tributes left. Two of the other Tributes killed each other, and Iron killed the last remaining two.

"Hi, Lily," Iron says.

"Hi, Iron," I reply.

"Where's Arc?" Iron asks.

"How would I know?" I question back.

"I don't know. Maybe because you're both in your room," Iron says.

"You knew?" I ask, surprised.

"Of course I did. It's my job to know everything that relates to your survival," Iron says.

"Oh," I say.

"So, tell me, what kind of relationship do you have with Arc?" Iron asks.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Are you using him to fulfill some sort of physical need, are you manipulating him, or do you actually feel something for him?" Iron asks.

"Why should I tell you?" I ask. "Won't you just tell Arc?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I'm going to ask him the same question later, and I won't tell you what he says either," Iron says.

"Okay, fine then," I say. I look over my shoulder, checking to make sure that Arc isn't there. "I'm manipulating him, if you must know."

"Good," Iron says. "That's what I thought. I figured that a smart girl like you wouldn't actually have feel- feel that this syrup is so great! Isn't this syrup so great, Lily?" Iron suddenly changes topics mid-sentence, and I hear footsteps behind me. Arc.

 _Arc Woods -18- -D2- POV_

I wake up in Lily's bed, next to her. She stirs awake. I close my eyes, wanting her to think that I'm still asleep. I sneak a peek and see that she's turned her back to me. I watch her dress and then she walks behind me to leave the room. After she leaves, I get up, and put on my clothes. Then I head out to find Iron and Lily, who are engaged in a mundane conversation that is a cover for whatever they were really talking about before my appearance. Throughout breakfast, we discuss strategy. The conversation mostly amounts to teaming up with the other Career Tributes, killing all of the other weaklings together, and then killing the other careers.

We arrive at the training area twenty-five minutes before the training is supposed to begin, but we're already the second ones there. I feel a slight pressure in my back, and look back to see a Capitol servant pinning a large numeral 2 to my back. I see another one doing the same thing to Lily. At least they're gentle. Those pins could really hurt.

After all of the other Tributes show up and some woman gives us instructions that I don't listen to, we finally get to get our hands on the weapons. I grab a mace and demolish one of the training dummies with ease. Then, I head over to the wrestling station and wrestling with a few of the Capitol supplied partners. They have partners of both genders, all skill levels and body types. I start with the small females, and eventually work my way up to the biggest one there, a large muscly woman who has obviously been training for her whole life. I'm a bit sweaty at this point, but I still manage to defeat her.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

I wake up in my bed in the Capitol, ready for my first day of training. I confidently don the all black outfit that has been left for me on my dresser and walk out to breakfast, with my mentor, Adam. We sit in silence for a while before I head down to training. I don't see Lindsay and don't care to.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

I wake up in the Capitol. I don't bother getting up. I fall back asleep until someone bangs on my door.

"Lindsay Cutt! You are required to report to training immediately!" A voice at the door shouts.

I drag myself out of bed and shout back. "Okay, fine I'm coming!" I dress in the black shirt and red-brown pants that have been left for me and scarf something down at the table before being almost dragged to training.

 _Twyler Onzui –16- -D8- POV_

I wake up on the first day of training. I shower, trying to make sense of all the buttons and knobs. I slip on the light blue long-sleeved t-shirt and pants, which are just the right color to compliment my eyes. I head to breakfast and then to training. When George asks us if we want to be coached separately or together, Kaine immediately says separately before I can even get a word in. I don't know how I feel. On one hand, I probably would have said the same thing, but not even being given a choice sort of bugs me. As if that wasn't bad enough, the way Kaine says it, he says it like he thinks he's superior to me, and doesn't want some weakling seeing his plans. If he thinks I'm so weak, I don't know why he'd care, but he seems to. We take the elevator down to training together, where I try to focus on George's advice to focus on what I'm not good at. I go to the edible plants station and try to memorize the different edible plants for all types of weather, but no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to remember any of them. Then I head over to the knot tying station, but I just can't seem to get it. Then I head over to the archery station and try to shoot at some targets. Amazingly, I hit all of them. At least I have one thing that I'm good at. Before I know it, it's time for lunch.

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

I wake up and shower before my first day of training. I dress in the green pants and shirt that have been left for me. I head off to breakfast feeling determined. When George asks if me and Twyler would like to be coached separately or together, I say separately. I sense that Twyler doesn't like that, but I'm not going to ally with anybody, and even if I was, she would be better off allying with somebody else.

I head down to training, and focus on George's advice to stay away from what I'm good at and focus on what I'm bad at. I notice that the girl from six isn't training at all. She just sits there the whole time. The whole time. Oh well, at least she won't be hard to kill. I start with the sword training and move on to bows-and-arrows, but before I get there, they're ringing the lunch bell.

 _Belinda Molser –15- -D10- POV_

I wake up on the first day of training. I shower, and curse the Capitol for making everything, including its showers, over complicated. I get blasted by foam before managing to turn that off and then being blasted by ice cold jets of water from the sides of the shower, then hot jets. I finally manage to find the normal setting, and then dress in the brown pants and shirt that have been left for me. I head to breakfast. Harold asks us if we would like to be coached together, and whether or not we would like to ally. I think about it for a minute before answering. I can't see any downside to having an ally. I just have to remember to kill him first.

"Allies?" I ask Noah.

"Sure," he says, and we shake hands. Then we head down to training.

By the time I and Noah arrive at training, everybody is already there. I go over to the knife throwing station. I throw ten knives, hitting every one of the targets. Then I realize that the careers are watching me. I decide to focus on something I don't know, although I think that I'll show my knife throwing skills to the Gamemakers. I head over to the sword training station, and discover that I'm okay. I try to wrestle with some of the Capitol supplied partners, but I don't manage to defeat any of them except for the very first one. Then it's time for lunch.

 _Noah Jones -17- -D10- POV_

I wake up, shower, and head to breakfast one my first day of training. During breakfast, Harold asks us if we plan to ally or not. I don't see any downside to having an ally, so when Belinda asks if I want to be allies, I say yes.

When we arrive at training, 5 minutes early, everyone else is already there. I try to focus on the combat skills. I suck at sword training, but waste two hours trying to get it just right. I do pretty good on wrestling, because of my strength. Then it's time for lunch.

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

After dinner with Haymitch and Effie, which is always an entertaining prospect, Wyatt heads to his room and collapses on his bed. I put my hand on his shoulder and he turns around.

"Here again?" He asks.

"I guess," I say, and sit down next to him.

"We both need to stop collapsing on beds," Wyatt says, with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Well, we've had a very traumatic day," I say.

"Fair point," Wyatt says.

"You're right, though," I say. "We need to be strong if we're going to win."

"Do you really think we can do that, though, Abi?" Wyatt asks.

"I don't know, but we have to try," I say. "Promise one thing, though."  
"Of course, Abi. Anything," Wyatt says.

"If you win, take care of Liliana. Use some of that Capitol money to get her medical treatments, okay?" I ask.

"Of course. But, Abi, I'm not going to win. If it comes down to it, I will kill myself," Wyatt says, sadly. I can tell that he means what he says.

"I know," I say. "And I know that as much as I might want to stop you, I won't be able to. I also know that there's a very good possibility that somebody else might kill me."

"I won't let them," Wyatt says.

"It might not be up to you," I say.

"It will be," he says.

"You don't know that," I say. "I guess we should get some sleep." I kiss him and start to leave the room. "Good night, rich boy!"

"Good night, poor girl!" Wyatt shouts after me. I close the door behind me and walk into my room. I get into bed and fall asleep.

I wake up. The reality of my situation finally sets in. I'm in the Capitol. Not for a good reason. I'm going to die. Probably. District 12 never wins. It'll probably be one of the ones from 1,2,3, or 4. Not me. Not Wyatt. Not anybody who's kindhearted or has a good reason to win. Then again, I could win. I can't give up hope. I need to win. For Liliana. I get up and shower. After I get out, I notice the outfit that has been left for me. White. All white. A perfectly white shirt and pants. I put on the clothes and head to breakfast, where Wyatt is. At least he's here with us. When we talk with Haymitch about strategy, he tells us to stick together at all times during training, to really play up what he calls "the star-crossed lovers" appeal.

We arrive at training second to last. It's 8 minutes before training is supposed to start, but I guess that this is a "be there early or you're late," sort of thing. After the main training lady gives us instructions, I ask Wyatt where we should go.

"Sword training?" Wyatt asks.

"Sure," I say. We head over to the sword station, and manage to demolish a few dummies. Then we learn to tie some knots, which the trainer is evidently happy about. When Wyatt asks if we should check out the edible plants station, I say no.

"I know it all, Wyatt. Remember, the best strategy is to look like we don't know anything, and that we'll be easy to kill," I say.

"But I don't," he says.

"I'll tell you," I reply. He seems happy with this explanation, and then the lunch bell rings.

 _Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV_

I wake up on the first day of training. I put on the diamond gray outfit that has been left for me. I head to breakfast, where Jennifer is waiting.

"Hi, Topaz," she says.  
"Hi, Jennifer," I say. "Got any advice for me today?"

"Try to intimidate everybody else. Focus on the physical training, demolish the dummies and trainers, and just try to be intimidating in general. You should already know all of the knowledge stations from your training. Right?" She continues without waiting for an answer. "Also, lunchtime is your first chance to get to know the other careers. Do it."

"Okay," I say.

At training, I follow Jennifer's advice. I grab a sword and completely destroy a dummy. When the head falls to the ground amid the dust of the body, I walk over to the wrestling station and easily defeat all of the trainers. Then I go back to sword training and easily defeat all of the sparing partners. Then, it's lunchtime.

 _Titanium Sparks -17- -D3- POV_

After dinner, I walk to my room, to find a young blonde woman waiting for me outside my room.

"Hi. Titanium, right?" She asks.

"Yeah. And you are?" I reply.

"Jennifer," she says.

"And who are you, Jennifer?" I ask. "Clearly you don't live here."

"How do you know?" She asks.

"Uh… Your voice is in its normal register, you're wearing normal clothes, and, unless I'm wrong, that's your natural hair color," I say.

"Oh. Is it that obvious?" She asks. "Fine. I'm the District One Mentor, Jennifer White."

"Okay, Jennifer, why are you here?" I ask.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" Jennifer asks.

"What- what?" I ask.

"Fairly simple question," Jennifer says.

"Uh..." I consider the question for a moment. I don't see any downside. I told Daizee that I would stop sleeping with other woman when we got married, but we're not married. "Sure," I say. "Why me though? Why not one of the Capitol citizens?"

"Those conceited- I mean wonderful people just aren't my type," Jennifer says.  
"I see," I say, and we enter my room.

I wake up the next morning alone. I guess Jennifer's back with her District One Tributes. Good for her. I get up and put on the clothes that have been left for me, a gray shirt and green pants. I walk out to breakfast, where Jack and Rianna are waiting. Since Rianna is there, we eat in silence.

When I arrive at training, I go over to the ax station and cut a few dummies in half. Then I spar with a few Capitol partners. Then it's lunchtime.

 _Rianna Meade –16- -D3- POV_

I wake up the morning of training and shower. I head to breakfast, where I talk with Jack for a little bit about my strategy. My strategy is to look weak and hide, not to kill unless I need to. When I head down to training, I go over to the throwing knife station. I think I do okay, I hit my target about half of the time. Then I head over to the sword fighting station, where I do okay again, but I run out of steam pretty quickly. Then the lunch bell rings with a decisive _gong._

 _Gong. Bang. The gunshot. The gun._ I fall to the ground, so much like Thea all those years ago.

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

I wake on the morn of the first day of training for the glorious 70th Hunger Games. I like to practice thinking like I'm writing in olden times. I have to write dialogue like that for Luna and George. I get up and shower, accidentally blasting myself with hot air before turning on the water. In the shower, I start to wonder about the Games, but it gets me nowhere, so I start thinking about a monster I need for Luna to face. It needs to be fierce… What I end up coming up with is a two-headed, fire breathing monster that paralyzes you when it looks at you. Oh, and it can fly. And is big enough to stomp you under one toe and eat you (the un-stomped version) whole as a snack, like chips. And it regularly does. I think Luna might defeat it by riding a winged horse up to it, while her automaton army attacks and distracts it from the bottom. That'll be at the end of the book, though. It'll be pretty cool, I think. An epic fight scene between the forces of good and evil. One huge, powerful, baddie against the smaller forces of good who eventually triumph. It'll be really cool. If I survive to write it, that is. I head to breakfast where Ashley and Spire are waiting. It's the first time I've seen Spire since I pick pocketed him.

"Hi, Ashley, Spire," I say, trying to sound casual.

"Hi, Sofia, right?" Spire asks. I'm surprised that he's being so nice. I know I wouldn't be if somebody pick pocketed me. Maybe he's just holding out until he can kill me. Probably. At least he's being civil.

When I arrive at training, I immediately head to the sword training station. I grab one of the swords and swing it at a dummy. The sword slices a cut on the dummy's stomach.

"Easily fatal to an unarmored opponent," a voice says from behind me. I turn, startled. I see a straight brown haired woman standing behind me. She steps back as my sword cuts through the air where her stomach just was. "Wow! Be careful with that! You could kill somebody!" She says. "Danielle Hawkins, sword instructor." Danielle holds out her hand. I carefully lower the sword and transfer it to my left hand to shake with her.

"Sofie Guinness, tribute from District 5," I say.

"I know," Danielle says. "Sorry, didn't mean to insult you. Pleasure to meet you, Sofie."

"Pleasure to meet you, Danielle," I say. "So, you think that stroke was good?"

"Yeah, it was, but we could work on your technique a little bit," Danielle says. "Hold the sword like this..." She holds my arm. For the next half hour, we practice my technique. "...and this way you won't kill anyone standing next to you," Danielle says. "Want to practice against me?"

"Sure," I say. "I can't hurt you, right?"

"No," she says, and laughs. "We're going to use the training swords."

"Oh! Okay, that's good," I say.

After an hour of sparring with Danielle, the lunch bell rings.

"You were great!" Danielle says.

"Thanks! And thanks for teaching me all that stuff about technique. I really feel like I can use this thing now!" I say, and twirl the sword around, before handing it to Danielle.

"Whoa! Last lesson before lunch: Always hand the sword to somebody else handle-first!" Danielle says and gently flips the sword around. "This way, you're handing it to me. The other way, you're trying to stab me."

"I see," I say. "Thanks, Danielle!"

"Glad to help, Sofie!" Danielle says.

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

I wake up on the morning of the first day of training, shower and confidently put on the crimson shirt and blue pants that have been left for me. I walk out to breakfast where Ashley and me talk about my strategy, which is pretty much to go it alone, killing anyone I find, but staying out of the way of the career pack until they kill themselves off, which they will.

At training, I throw some spears at dummies, hitting them all fatally on the first try. Then I head over to the knot tying station, and although the trainer is very enthusiastic, I never manage to tie a knot. Then I head over to the sword training station and demolish a few dummies. Then I go over and spend the rest of the time until lunch wrestling.

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV_

I wake up on the first day of training. I shower, managing to easily find the normal shower button in the medley of buttons on the shower control panel. When I get out, I find clothes left for me that are the exact shade of blue as my mother's ribbon… and my mother's ribbon sitting on top of them. There's a note on the top of the stack.

 _Aurora,_

 _I think that your mother's ribbon would make a good token for you. You should wear it into the arena._

 _-Valr_

Valr is my head stylist. I think that's a good idea. I put on the clothes and head out to breakfast. Cyder and Sophia are already there.

"Hi, Cyder," I say.

"Hi, Aurora!" Cyder says.

"Hi, Aurora," Sophia says. We make a little bit of idle small talk through breakfast, then Sophia asks "So, are you two going it alone or allying? If you're allying, with each other, or someone else?"

"We're allying," I say, confidently.

"Cyder?" Sophia asks.

"Yup. We talked about it on the train," Cyder says.

"That's good. You'll do better together. You should stick together during training then, make sure that each of you knows what the other one is good and bad at. Got that?" Sophia asks.

"Sounds good," I say.

At training, I and Cyder stay away from axes.

"I figure you know how to use an ax pretty well already, right?" I ask Cyder.

"Yeah. You too?" He replies.

"Yeah. Were should we go?" I ask.

"Swords?" Cyder asks.

"Sure," I say, and we walk over to the sword station. I notice that the girl from five seems to be getting special focus from the instructor. She'll be dangerous. I don't really talk during training, trying to save my social energy for when it's really needed.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- -D9- POV_

I wake up on training day and shower. Then I walk outside to find… A completely pink outfit! There's a note on top.

 _Azalea,_

 _I know that you don't like pink, but this will help the other Tributes underestimate you. The little girl in pink, got that?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lyla_

I hope Lyla knows what she's doing. I put the pink… things on and walk to breakfast. Angus and Harold are waiting. We make idle talk, and after breakfast, Harold pulls me aside and talks to me about my strategy.

"Azalea, here's what you need to do. In training, you need to find allies. In the Games, you need to stay with them. You need to help them fight the other Tributes. Then, when the number of other Tributes is low or none, you need to kill them. Got that?"

"Of course," I say, and then head down to training.

At training, I go to the edible plants station, acing the test. Then I head over to the camouflage station and do pretty good there too, I think. Then I try to practice with a sword, but don't do well. Lastly, I head over to where they have some knifes. I manage to do pretty well on that, killing a few dummies. Of course, they don't fight back, which is a large part of training. Then it's time for lunch.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

I wake up, shower, and don the all dark green clothes that have been left for me. I head to breakfast. Harold tells me that I should find some allies and then quickly betray them. Sounds like a good plan. I just need to find someone to ally with… Azalea is too young, and I haven't actually gotten a good chance to look at the other Tributes, so…

When I arrive at training, I go to spear training, and do okay. Then I go to wrestling, where I do good. Then I try my hand at daggers, and utterly fail. All the while, I'm surveying the training area, looking for potential allies. I go over to archery training and do okay, my biggest problem is my aim.

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

I wake up on the first day of training. I shower, being careful not to push any of the buttons until I find the one creatively labeled 'shower'. When I get out, I find the warm brown clothes that have been left for me. I dress and head to breakfast, where I make idle conversation with Isabella and Calyx until Isabella pulls me away.

"Remember what I said about ranged weapons?" Isabella asks.

"Yeah, focus on them," I say. "Do you see anyone who looks like they'd be a good ally for me?"

"I think so," Isabella says. "That Sofia girl from District Five looks like a good one. Try to talk to her at lunch, okay? Just the fact that you go over to her should inspire respect. Okay?"

"Sounds good," I say. "Sofia Guinness, right?"

"Right," Isabella says.

At training, I follow Isabella's advice. I go over to the bow-and-arrow station, and do pretty good, I hit about 70% of the targets. Then I go to the knife throwing station. I throw ten knives, hitting all of the targets with deadly shots. Then I reach for another ten and repeat the process. I see a brown haired, brown-eyed man walking over to me. I don't recognize him, so he must be one of the trainers.

"Good arm," he says. He waits for me to finish throwing the third set of knives and then walks in front of me, holding out his hand. "Hi. Lucas Mikhailovich, throwing knife instructor."

"Hi. Athena Fallow, the girl who's determined to win from District Eleven," I say, and shake his hand.

"It's good that you have determination," Lucas says. "Now, you have a good throwing arm, but you could stand to work on your technique a bit. First, whip your arm like this, not like this..." Over the next hour or so, he shows me how to improve my technique, ending with showing me how to conceal my knifes in a sheath on my wrist, two per wrist. Then the lunch bell rings.

Lunch is served in the training area, buffet style. Carts of food and tables are brought out by Avoxes. The careers sit together at one table, apart from everyone else. The pair from twelve and the pair from four are also sitting together. I grab a tray of food, and head over to the table where Sofia Guinness sits.

"Hi. Sofia, right? I'm Athena," I say, setting my tray down and extending my hand.

"Hi, Athena. Yes, I'm Sofia. You can call me Sofie though," Sofie says. She shakes my hand.

"Sofie. How are you?" I ask, sitting down.

"As good as one can be, considering the circumstances," Sofie says. "You?"

"The same," I say.

"So, Athena, why are you here?" Sofie asks.

"I'm here to ask you if you want to be allies," I say.

"Oh. Sure, why not? You seem nice enough," Sofie says. "You understand that I'll kill you without hesitation if we're the two people who are left at the end, right? At least for now. Until then, I'll protect you."

"I understand, and you know that I'll do the same," I say.

"I understand," Sofie says, and we shake hands.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

At lunch I grab a tray of food and walk over to the table where the careers are sitting. I see one of them get up, a girl, Satin, I think, and walk over to the table where the two from four are sitting. I go to sit down, but one of them, Titanium, I think, speaks up.

"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?" Titanium says. He looks at me.

"Sitting down," I say.

"And what makes you think that you can sit here?" Titanium asks.

"I want to be one of you. One of the careers," I say.

"Will, we-" he motions to the table with the other careers, "-don't want you to be. So go find somewhere else to sit." For a few seconds, I just stand there in shock. How could they _not_ want _me?_ I'm the best. I'm going to win, and I could be a good help to them. Make them live longer. Give them more glory. Oh well. I'll kill them all. I stalk off to another table.

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

Brooke and I head over to the edible plants station, where we do okay. Brooke seems easily distracted, but that's fine. Then we head over to the camouflage station, and I think that Brooke manages to do pretty good there. I can't seem to wrap my head around how the patterns work, but that's okay, right? As long as one of us gets it, we'll be good. When we try knot tying, Brooke manages to get all of the knots easily, explaining that she already knew half of them from watching the sailors on the docks, but I can't remember the sequences. We part ways for weapons training, each of us trying a weapon that we haven't tried before, to avoid looking too strong. I try a sword, and while I manage to demolish a dummy, my strokes throw me off balance. The sword is too light, so I try a broadsword next. It feels just right in my hand, well-balanced, and my strokes don't throw me off balance. I like it. Sooner than I think, it's time for lunch. I grab some food and sit down at a table with Brooke.

"What weapon did you pick?" I ask her.

"I tried an ax," she said. "I kept getting thrown off balance, knocked me over a couple times. I'll think I'll try a light sword after lunch."

"Yeah, I had balance issues too," I say. "I think that my weapon was too heavy. At least know we know which of us is best suited to which weapon, huh?"

"Yup. That's good, so we should…" Brooke and I talk throughout the rest of lunch.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- D9- POV_

Allies. They say I need allies. At lunch, I look around the training arena. Who might make a good ally? I'm not going to trust them, I'm not stupid. Somebody who would trust me, now that might be good. Alliances already seem to be forming. The pair from four, the pair from seven, the careers, the girl from five and the one from eleven, and the pair from twelve. None of them are good candidates. Four and seven might be okay, but four would probably look down on me, although they aren't sitting with the careers, so maybe not? Either way, I only get one shot at this. The careers are out for obvious reasons. Seven? No, they look pretty determined. The two girls, Sofia and Athena, I think, already have two girls, and one more would probably upset their 'dynamic'. Besides, they're stronger, they have a good chance. The pair from twelve. By the process of elimination, we have landed on them. I look them over. As I watch, I see tears roll down the girls face, and the guy hugs her. They might be the perfect fit. They look like they're in love and have been for a while, and if I play up the young and vulnerable angle, their paternal instincts might kick in. Also, they're from twelve. They already know they're not going to win, they probably think that I'll just increase their odds. One more person to fight with, and I'll be easy to kill in my sleep. Or so they think… I walk over to their table. I wish I remembered their names.

"Hi, I'm Azalea," I say, extending my hand. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all, Azalea," says the girl, shaking my hand. "I'm Abi, and this is Wyatt."

"Hi," Wyatt says, shaking my hand. We eat in silence for a couple minutes, until Wyatt finally speaks again. "So, Azalea, why are you here? No offense, but you could have sat somewhere else," he motions to the sparsely occupied room, "So if you're here, you want something."  
"Very observant," I say. "I wanted to know if you two would consider..." I pause for a moment, as if considering my words. In reality, I knew what I would say from the moment I sat down. All the years of making friends in school is better than any psychology course. "If you would… take me in. After all," now I rush my words, allowing my nervousness to show, ", I'm young, and I wouldn't stand much of a chance on my own… and… and I'm sorry. I should leave-"

"No," Abi lays a hand on my arm. "Stay, for now. You understand me and Wyatt will have to discuss this privately?"

"Of course," I say, wiping away tears that were never real. Abi motions to Wyatt, and the pair stand up, walking a short distance away.

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

"I think we need to take her in. It can't really hurt us, and even if it does… I mean, look at her," I say to Wyatt, looking back at Azalea, sitting at the table, looking sad.

"I agree," Wyatt says. "We can't just let her die."

"As long as we're in agreement," I say. He nods.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- D9- POV_

Abi and Wyatt walk back from their discussion spot.

"You're in," Abi says.

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

After lunch, I head back to the bow-and-arrow training station. I pick up a longbow, and shoot a few arrows at a dummy. One to the head, two to the heart. I turn around to pick up more arrows, and I see a girl standing next to me. She has light blonde hair, very fine, streaked with brown, beautiful blue-gray eyes, small dimples around her eyes and mouth, and light-brown-blonde eyebrows.

"Good dispersion," she says. "Your form needs a little work though. You should pull back with more force for one. Also, you're holding it wrong. You're right handed, right?"

"Yeah," I say. "And uh, who are you?"

"Oh, sorry," she says, holding out her hand, "Katelynn O'Neill, previous victor, now I teach longbows to any Tribute who cares to learn."

"Nice to meet you, Katelynn," I say, shaking her hand. "What were you saying about holding the bow?"

"Right, so, switch your hands," she says, walking behind me, "now, hold it like this," she pulls my arm back, "and release. Okay, now..."

Katelynn coaches me on the longbow until it's time to leave for dinner.

"Thanks, Katelynn," I say, putting the bow done.

"No problem, Kaine," she says. "Happy to help. You seem like I nice guy. I hope you win." Then she kisses me for a few seconds, and when she pulls back, she says, "For luck, since I won't get to see you again." Then I leave. She's right, I won't see her again. Tomorrow is our Gamemaker sessions, and then the interviews.

 _Peter Mallard –35- -Capitol Resident- -Head Gamemaker- POV_

It's time for the Tributes to wow us privately! Or, you know, do nothing of interest will we eat roast pig. The girl from District One, Satin, walks in. She looks up at us, and confidently strides over to the sword rack. She examines it for a second, and then grabs a serrated sword from the rack. She walks towards some of the dummies, and demolishes six of them in a circle around her. She didn't pick the easy ones either, she picked the ones that 'fight' back by smacking at you. She dodged every strike, and now we'll need to buy six more dummies. A solid nine. We thank her, and she leaves.

Then the boy from one, Topaz, walks in. He punches some of the dummies down, cuts a few in half with an ax, and throws a weight at one, before leaving. Strong, but boring. Not creative. An eight.

The girl from two, Lily, walks in. She cuts the throats of a couple dummies from behind, stabs some in the chest, and then slices them up with her sword. Boring. Eight.

Male, two, Arc. Broadsword, like there, will be one of those in the arena. Ax, weights. Yeah, I get it, you're strong. Eight.

Girl, three, Rianna. She picks up a sword, and seems to be doing well, but then, she swings it, and trips into the dummy. She does okay after then, but I can tell that she hasn't been training. A solid five.

Male, three, Titanium. He picks up a machete, and cleaves off a few dummies heads before switching to a knife, and stabbing them through the heart. The number of dummies that have been destroyed means that some Avoxes need to go grab some more from the closet. Maybe next year I should put a sign up that says not to destroy the dummies… Or we could use holograms… Anyway, he's an eight. At least a machete has more personality than a sword… Still bored. I order a roast pig, and they say it'll be out in thirty minutes. So many Tributes left…

Girl, four, Brooke. She throws a couple tridents at some dummies, then sets up a trap with a net that drops a trident on a dummy's head. All in ten minutes, I'm surprised. Nine.

Boy, four, Kai. He spears a couple dummies, and tridents a few more. I didn't know that you could send a trident through somebody's neck. I instinctively grasp my neck for a second, before I remember to keep up my image. I put my hand down before anybody sees it. Eight.

Girl, five, Sofia. She grabs a sword and demolishes some dummies with it. She's adept at handling it, even though her file says she didn't train. A solid eight. I wonder why we don't have sparring partners. That would make this much more exciting. Ah! The roast pig is here.

Boy, five, Spire. He spears some dummies and demolishes a few more with his sword. I'm enjoying my roast pig quite nicely. I'll have some more. As for Spire, he's a decent nine.

Girl, six, Lindsay. She's pushed into the room by two guards. She stands there for a few minutes, then grabs a dagger and halfheartedly stabs a few dummies. Then she leaves. One.

Boy, six, Edmund. He grabs a sword and demolishes some dummies. Than an ax, then a dagger, then he shield-bashes some of them. Eight.

Girl, seven, Aurora. She confidently grabs an ax and, oh my! When she's done with the room, the dummies are all dead, most decapitated. Nine. I send an Avox for some more dummies.

Boy, seven, Cyder. He does pretty much the same thing as the Aurora. I check my notes. They're allying. That will be… interesting. We're almost out of dummies, and roast pig.

Girl, eight, Twyler. She picks up a bow and manages to hit most of her targets. Seven.

Boy, eight, Kaine. He takes a sword, and slices through five dummies before switching to a bow and head-shotting five more. Eight.

Girl, nine, Azalea. She picks up a scythe, and destroys some dummies by slicing through their legs, and then slicing their throats. Seven. If she had more strength, she might get a nine. As it is, pretty good though.

Boy, nine, Angus. He throws some spears around, hitting his target about half the time. Six.

Girl, ten, Belinda. She throws knives at the dummies, with great accuracy. Seven.

Boy, ten, Noah. He swipes some dummies with swords. He's a decent six.

Girl, eleven, Athena. She uses throwing knives with deadly accuracy. Eight.

Boy, eleven, Calyx. He manages to do some damage with a sword. Seven.

Girl, twelve, Abi. She grabs a bow and hits all of her targets. Eight.

Boy, twelve, Wyatt. He also picks up a bow and does some good damage. Eight.

 **A/N: I know that some Tributes got some less time in this chapter, and I'm sorry about that. Most of this chapter was written months ago, and I just wanted to finish it and move on, but I did my best, I hope you like it. Next chapter everybody will get more time because it's interview time! Special thanks to the people who inspired the trainers in this chapter:**

 _Hawkmaid/Danielle Hawkins: One of my first Tribute submitters and the person on this site who's been the nicest to me._

 _Lucas [Redacted]: My friend._

 _Katelynn [Redacted]: My [redacted], let's just say she's very special to me._

 _Training Scores:_

 _Satin Hermes: 9_

 _Topaz Hazard: 8_

 _Lily Cross: 8_

 _Arc Woods: 8_

 _Rianna Meade: 5_

 _Titanium Sparks: 8_

 _Kai Presley: 8_

 _Brooke Nash: 9_

 _Sofia Guinness: 8_

 _Spire Windell: 9_

 _Edmund Caden: 8_

 _Lindsay Cutt: 1_

 _Cyder Lamentain: 8_

 _Aurora Dayton: 9_

 _Kaine Thomason: 8_

 _Twyler Onzui: 7_

 _Angus Blush: 6_

 _Azalea Saffron: 7_

 _Noah Jones: 6_

 _Belinda Molser: 7_

 _Calyx Anther: 7_

 _Athena Fallow: 8_

 _Wyatt Fritz: 8_

 _Abi Hendrix: 8_


	25. Interviews!

**Chapter 24**

 **Interviews**

 **A/N: It feels good to be back! I'm going to have some fun with this one, so buckle you seat-belts and keep all hands, feet, and heads inside the hovercraft at all times!**

 _Satin Hermes –18- -D1- POV_

I walk onto the interview stage with Caesar, who is already sitting there, waiting for me. I'm wearing a white shirt that covers the scar I have from my neck down to my heart, a complimentary dark blue skirt, leggings, and black heels. _Heels!_ Johnathan had wanted to put me in a more revealing dress, but he decided not to because of the scar. As he said, "I'm sorry, Satin, but even the slightest imperfection can't be shown." I don't particularly care, if he says this makes me look good, I believe him. I'm focused on winning, not soaking up praise and admiration from the people in the Capitol. I sit down properly, as I've been instructed, in the chair next to Caesar. I accept the handshake he offers, and then he speaks.

"So, Satin, since you've arrived in the Capitol, what here is most different from what you excepted?" He asks. Starting with the small, unimportant questions.

"Honestly, Caesar? It's how big everything is! It's so much bigger than I thought it would be!" I say. I'm lying. None of the buildings here are particularly impressive, but Jennifer tells me it pays to suck up to the crowd.

"I know! The Tribute Tower is gigantic! I get vertigo just from looking up at it!" He says. The audience laughs. "Now, Satin, tell me, what made you want to volunteer for the Games?"

"When I was young and was first reading about the Games, I thought it sounded really cool. Getting to run around and fight monsters with swords? Who wouldn't want to do that! As I got older, I also realized that if I got Reaped, I should be skilled, and then one day I decided that I wanted to put all my training to use," I say. All true, and they should like it.

"I see," Caesar says. "Now, tell me, Satin, is there anyone special back in District One?"

"There… there…" Tears well in my eyes as I recall my encounter with Midas in the Justice Building. No, I think to myself. Don't look weak. I can't look weak. "There was someone. Let's just say that we had… a parting of ways the day of the Reaping."

"Can you tell me more about him?" Caesar asks. This is juicy gossip, and he's going to get every last bit of it.

"Of course," I say, still fighting back tears. "In the Justice Building, after I volunteered, he revealed to me that he is anti-Hunger Games." Gasps from the audience. I keep going. "He told me that even if I survived, I would not be welcome anywhere near him when I returned." More gasps.

"He just told you that after you had volunteered?" Caesar asks, shocked. "And, if you don't mind, what did you do?"

"Yes, yes he did," I say. "I may or may not have exercised some of my training on him." Laughs from the audience. They're happy that some jerk got what he deserved.

"Well, Satin, I'm afraid that's all the time we have," he says, and we stand up and shake hands again. "There you have it! Satin Hermes, Tribute from District One! A girl you don't want to cross!" I walk off stage. That was not the angle we were going for. We _were_ going for kind and funny. Not anymore, I guess.

 _Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV_

I walk onto the stage wearing a black suit, with a white undershirt, and black dress shoes. The suit is uncomfortable, it feels tight, especially in the rear end. I have no doubt that that isn't purposeful.

After I exchange the obligatory handshake with Caesar, he gets right down to business.

"So, Topaz, tell me, do you think you're going to win?" He asks.

"I don't know, Caesar, but I think my odds are pretty good," I say. "I'm strong, I've been training my whole life, I was the best in my class, and I'm humble too." Laughter from the crowd. Honestly, I couldn't care less about these people, but Jennifer says that I might need Sponsors if I want to win, and that if I'm disliked by the people, I'm more likely to get killed off earlier, through some form or another of Gamemaker intervention. I don't believe that anybody could kill me, but she's the expert, so I do what she says.

"I see. So, what do you see as your greatest strength?" Caesar asks.

"I think my greatest strength is my actual strength," I say. "I could kill you with just my arms right now."

"Will, okay," Caesar says, looking nervous. "I'll make a note not to annoy you. Out of curiosity, if you were going to kill me, how would you?"

I pause, looking around to give me time to think about the question. "I would probably just choke you, seeing as I don't have a weapon."

"Wow," Caesar says, "I'm glad I'm not in the Games myself! What do you think," he addressed the audience, "would I stand a chance?" The audience shouts encouragement at him.

"So, Topaz, is there anyone special back in District One?" Caesar asks. "Any girl you want to get back to?"

"Actually, there is," I say, "Her name is Diamond, and we confessed our feelings for each other after the Reaping."

"So, you have some incentive to get back, then?" Caesar says.

"Yes, I guess you could say that," I say.

"Wonderful, Topaz! Unfortunately, that's all the time we have! Good luck!" We shake hands again, and I head off stage as he calls Lily.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

I walk onto stage in an emerald green, mid-calf length dress with a transparent mesh top and leggings, along with green heels to match. The dress shows the scar on my left shoulder, but Angela thinks that seeing it will reinforce the image that I'm dangerous and not to be messed with.  
"Hello, Lily! It's nice to meet you!" Caesar says. "What do you like most about the Capitol?"

"The showers," I say. This is a lie, I couldn't care less, but making the men of the Capitol think of me in the shower might be a plus. "Once I figured out how to not get sprayed with foam and freezing cold water at the same time, that is! I was so cold, I thought I was going to get hypothermia!" I hear the audience and Caesar laughing.

"The first time I took a shower by myself, I almost burned myself! I decided to deactivate the child temperature controls, and let's just say that that was a bad idea! I think I still have a small scar," he pointed to a small point on his forehead, "right here. Can you see it?" The audience reassures him, but he waves his arms to control them. "Okay, okay. We have more questions for you, Lily. Can you tell me why you wanted to volunteer for the Games?"

"Well, Caesar," I say, carefully controlling my tone to make sure that I give the impression I want. I'm going to lie a little bit, but I want Sponsors. "My mother died when I was young, because we couldn't pay for her treatments. When I have kids, I don't want the same thing to happen to me or them." This is a boldfaced lie, no matter how much money we had, we couldn't save my mom, and we had plenty of money, that's why I could afford the academy. They won't think too much about it, and it will get me plenty of sympathy, which is what I want.

"I see," Caesar says. "And do you think you're prepared for the Games?"

"I don't know," I say, "but I know that I've done my best, and I will continue to. Anyone who gets in my way will meet a quick end."

"Wow, that's quite fierce, Lily! So, tell me, is there anyone special back in District Two?"

"No," I say, "I spend all of my time training, so I haven't had any time to make friends."

"What about Arc? Do you know him?" Caesar asks. I can tell he's fishing for something juicy in my fake boring backstory.

"I know him a little bit. We haven't really talked much though," I say.

"Okay then,"Caesar says. "Unfortunately, that's all the time we have! It was nice to meet you, Lily!" We shake hands, and I walk offstage as he calls Arc.

 _Arc Woods –18- -D2- POV  
_

I walk on stage and shake hands with Caesar, then sit down. I'm wearing a gray suit with matching tie and black dress shoes.

"Nice to meet you, Arc," Caesar says, "can you tell us what life is like in District Two compared to your time here in the Capitol?" Shoot. I wasn't prepared for that question.

"I haven't really spent much time here, but it seems like..." I pause, trying to think of a good answer, "everything is better staffed, that's for sure!"  
"That it is!" Caesar says happily. "So, your father won the Games, and now you're here. Can you tell us if there's any connection?"

"Actually," I say, "my parents didn't want me to volunteer. They wanted me to train in case I was Reaped, but they didn't want me to go. My best friend, his name is Kris, he was Reaped. He hadn't trained, and I had, so I couldn't let him go and be slaughtered. So I decided to volunteer."

"I see," Caesar says. "That was very nice of you. I don't know if I would have the courage to do that!" He laughs. I hope this will be over soon. I'm getting sort of tired from interacting with people all day.

"Is there anyone special for you back in District Two?" Caesar asks.

"No," I say. There's not really anymore to say.

"I see. Do you know Lily?"

"We go to the same academy, and we've talked a bit, but I didn't really get to know her before the train ride, no," I say.

"But you did get to know her on the train ride?" Caesar asks. "Can you tell me more about that?"

"No," I say. "I don't think she would like that very much. Let's just say that it was very exciting for us."

"I see," Caesar says. "Can you tell me what your overall strategy is? I understand that you don't want to go to much into details, but..." He trails off to finish the question.

"I'll probably use a sword. I'll be in with Lily, Topaz, Satin, and Titanium. Apart from that, I don't want to say to much," I say.

"I understand," Caesar says. "And it looks like that's all the time we have! Thank you, Arc." We shake hands and I walk off stage.

 _Rianna Meade –16- -D3- POV_

I sit off stage, waiting for Arc's interview to finish, then Caesar calls me up.

"Welcome, Rianna!" He says, flashing me a smile, and extending a hand to shake. I smile back and shake his hand. "So, tell me, do you have anyone special in District Three?"

"No, Caesar," I say, my voice coming out an octave higher and in a different tone than normal. I always do this. In a crisis, a small part of brain takes over to get me out of it. It knows what to do, even if I don't agree with it. "I'm very busy at school, and I haven't made many friends since the robbery." I didn't want to go there, but that small part of my brain told me to.

"The robbery?" Caesar asks, shocked. He leans in. "You have to tell us more!"

"It was a night just like any other night," I say, "Me and my friends were walking home from school, and then… and then..." I feel tears that I don't _feel_ coming out of my eyes.

"It's alright, dear," Caesar says, patting me on the back. "You don't have to tell us." I look in his eyes, a that little part of my brain that's in control tells me what he's really saying. _You don't have to tell us, but you should._ I straighten my shoulders, and wipe the tears from my eyes. It seems like the little part of my brain says, _You've got this from here,_ because suddenly I feel myself again.

"I was walking home with my friends, we were laughing and talking like normal, and then a man ran up to us. He grabbed me… and… and he told me to give him my backpack, my friends too. We did… and then, this one girl, T-Thea, s-she had a necklace, and he… he wanted it. But there was a patrol of Peacekeepers, and she was taking too long… and so he… he… he shot her. All over a necklace! And he didn't even get it. Some brave Peacekeepers managed to kill him shortly after. Since then… I… I," _How do I put this nicely? –Screw nicely, Ri. Do what gets us out of here!- Fine._ "My friends abandoned me because I was too shocked to cry." The crowd had gasped when they heard about Thea getting shot, and they had been silent, holding their breath until now. Another gasp.

"Your friends abandoned you?" Caesar asks, shocked.

"Yes," I say. "They called me a heartless jerk and told me to get away from them."

"Will," Caesar says, trying to put a positive spin on the situation, "at least you know they weren't very good friends, right? I know," he gestures to the audience, "none of us would want to have friends like that!"

"You're right, Caesar, you're right," I say, smiling through glassy vision at him.

"I would love to ask you more questions, Rianna," he says. "But, unfortunately, we've reached our time limit. It was lovely meeting you."

"You too, Caesar," I say, as we stand and shake hands.

 _Titanium Sparks –18- -D3- POV_

I walk onstage after Rianna delivers her bombshell interview, which might totally ruin my chances of looking good to the Sponsors. After little crybaby Rianna, nobody wants big strong Ty. Oh well. At least she'll be dead soon. I'm wearing a nice suit that my fashion designer, Mallory, designed for me. It makes me look good, if I do say so myself.

"Hello, Titanium!" Caesar says. I wonder how he stays so happy with so much energy.

"Hi, Caesar," I say, giving him a firm handshake.

"So, Titanium, what do you think of the Capitol?" Caesar asks.

"I don't have much to say about it," I look around. "Seems like a nice place. I won't be here for long though. The train was nice, though. First one I've been on."

"Yes," Caesar says. "Those trains sure are something! They go so fast! I was on one once, and when I looked out the window, I thought I was going to vomit, it was going so fast!" The audience laughs at his expense, and then he moves on. "So, Titanium-"

"You can call me Ty," I say. He seems momentarily shocked that someone interrupted him, but his face changes to hide it.

"Okay then, Ty. Is there anyone waiting for you back in District Three?"

"There is actually. She just proposed to me the day of the Reaping. Once I win, I'll marry her. Daizee is her name."

"I see! That must have been quite exciting for you. So, you seem quite confident in your abilities! Is there a reason for that?"

"I've been training since I was twelve. I train all day, every day. So yeah, I think I have a good chance at winning. Especially compared to some of the less athletic ones we have this year."

"I see," Caesar says, smiling. "Confidence is good. Does Daizee share your confidence?"

"Not exactly," I say, smiling also, "but I'll show her when I get back with the Victor's title!"

"That's great," Caesar says. "Unfortunately, that's all the time we have! It was nice meeting you!" We shake hands, and I leave the stage.

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

After that Titanium kid leaves the stage, it's my turn. I walk onto stage in a shimmery, deep blue, mermaid style dress with off the shoulder sleeves, a princess neckline, and a beautiful silver necklace with an aquamarine gemstone in the center. I feel like I almost glide onto the stage in the dress and matching heels.

"Hello, Brooke!" Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say, and shake his hand. He motions to the chair, and I sit down in just they way Margaret told me to.

"It's very nice to meet you, Brooke. So, is there anyone important to you back home?" Caesar asks.

"Let's see," I say. "Will, there are my sisters and brother, I love them, even if my brother was a bit misguided with that whole bread stealing thing." I know why he did it, but the Capitol must think that stealing of any kind is a horrible crime. "Then there's my dad, he doesn't say a lot, but he loves me, and my grandpa. Grandpa loves us a lot."

"I see. Any friends? A boyfriend? Maybe a secret crush?" Caesar asks.

"I have a couple friends, hi, Ridley, Cora," I say, waving to the camera. "Cora was dating this one guy, Tidal, and," I blush a little bit, "I didn't think that anyone knew that I liked him, but apparently they did," I laugh, shyly, "because of that kiss he gave me before I left District Four."

"Wow" Caesar says. "Friends and secret loves! I don't think that we've had anything that interesting before, have we?" He asks the audience, and they laugh.

"I wouldn't say that it was love, Caesar," I say. "I thought he was attractive, I would have dated him, but I don't know if he was the one." I glance offstage, quickly. As soon as I realize what I'm doing, I look back to Caesar. "Anyway, that's me. I'm… uh… sure you have more questions for me."

"As a matter of fact I do," Caesar says, "Have you made any friends since your arrival here?" He's asking about Kai. He knows that me and Kai are allies.

"Actually, Caesar, I have," I say.

"Really? Who?" He asks.

"A girl never tells," I say with a wink at Caesar. Then I laugh. "No, actually, its my District partner, Kai. I and him are going to be allies. We get along well enough, I think."

"Can you tell me a little bit about your strategy?" Caesar asks.

"Now, that, Caesar, I think I'll keep to myself. A little mystery never hurt anyone," I say.

"I see," Caesar says. "Unfortunately, we're out of time. It was nice to meet you, Brooke!" He rises to shake my hand.

"You too, Caesar," I say, and walk off stage as he calls Kai.

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

I stare at- I mean, I pay polite attention to Brooke all the way through her interview. She looks so pretty in her dress. She reminds me of Galia so much. They have a lot of the same personality, and they look very much alike. Galia wore a dress very much like Brooke's when she did her interview. I still remember every moment of it..

 **One year ago…**

 _Kai Presley –17- -D4R- POV_

I watch Galia walk onto the stage in her dress. It's a long, dark blue, cocktail dress. Her red hair was down to her shoulders, they had curled it at the bottom. Her green eyes shone bright when she smiled. She glided onto the stage with Caesar.

"Hello, Galia," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," she says. She sits down, crossing her legs like a proper lady. So beautiful. So sweet. I hope she'll win. She can do it. I know she can.

"So, Galia, let's get right to it," Caesar says. "Why did you volunteer?"

"Will, Caesar," Galia says, "my best friend, a girl named Mary, she got Reaped. Mary, she, she… let's just say that as much as I love Mary, she wouldn't stand a chance in the Arena. I don't know if I will either, but I'd like to think I will," she laughs. It's the sweetest sound in the world. "At least, even if I die, she'll still live," she says.

"Wow," Caesar says. "That was very noble of you, Galia. Is there anyone special for you back in District Four?"

Galia thinks for a second, and looks right at the camera. "No. There… no, no there's not." I wish I had told her. I went to visit her in the Justice Building, but she had already left. I wish I had told her. That was my mistake. But she'll come back. She… she has to.

"I see," Caesar says, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she says, regaining her composure.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Caesar says. He looks at audience, at the camera. "I never found love myself. Apparently, the ladies don't like me! What's with that, ladies?" He asks the audience. They laugh and jokingly boo him. "Anyway," he says, "what's your strategy, if you don't mind telling us?"

"Not at all, Caesar," she says. "I plan to go it alone. Apparently nobody wants to be friends with me." I feel a surge of anger inside me. If I was there, I would protect her. How can these people- Uh! It's not worth it. She's talking again. "So, I'll probably go for a sword. I'd like a bow, but," she smiles, "I don't know if I'll get one. Of course," she smiles again and winks, "if anyone would like to donate one, I won't say no!" She laughs. Caesar laughs.

"Of course!" He says. "I'm sorry, Galia, but that's all the time we have. It was very nice meeting you."

"You too," she says, as she shakes hands with him and leaves the stage.

 **Back to the present…**

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

Brooke's interview is done, and I watch her walk off stage. They call my name. I take a deep breath, and walk on stage. I'm wearing a nice tuxedo. I stride confidently to the stage, and shake hands with Caesar.

"Are you alright there, Kai?" Caesar asks. "You look as if you've been crying." He's right, I realize. I feel the streaks of tears running down my cheeks. I hadn't noticed, I must have only cried a little bit. I cried a lot after Galia died. When I watched her die, I couldn't cry, I was in shock. After that, I asked to be excused from class. I had started crying a minute after the camera cut off her. The killing had mostly stopped by then and my teacher took mercy on me. I cried in the bathroom for half an hour. I haven't cried since then, and that one time I talked to Brooke. And now.

"I… I..." I stutter. Then I look offstage, at Brooke, waiting for me. She smiles, and I feel myself calming down. "I was just thinking about Galia." I say.

"Who's Galia?" Caesar asks. "We had somebody of that name last year. She wasn't the same one, was she?"

"She, uh, she was," I say. "I… I never told her, but I was in love with her. I was going to tell her after she got Reaped, but I didn't get there quickly enough. She had already left. I thought that she had good odds in the Games, but well… You know. Not only was she killed, she was tortured. That's why I volunteered actually. I didn't want to have to see anyone else die."

"Wow." Caesar says. I can tell that he's processing what I just said, trying to think about how to respond. "That's such a sad story. I'm sorry for you, Kai. So, do you want to win?"

"I don't know," Caesar, I respond honestly. "As Brooke told you, I and her are allies. Personally, if it came down to me and her, I'd let her win. Otherwise, I'll stay alive," I say, smiling.

"I see," Caesar says. "Thank you, Kai. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have. It was nice to meet you."

"You too, Caesar," I say. We shake hands, and I walk off stage.

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

I walk onto stage in a shimmering green cocktail dress, exactly the same color as my eyes. My hair is in its signature two braids. I feel uncomfortable in the heels, even when I wore dresses at home, I never wore heels. Ashley had taught me how to walk in them, so I manage to walk to my seat with a minimal amount of teetering and tottering.

"Hello, Sofia," Caesar says, and holds out his hand to me.

"Hello, Caesar," I say, and shake his hand. We sit down.

"So, Sofie, tell me about yourself," Caesar says.

"Will," I say, "there's not much to say. I don't really have anybody I'm in love with, although I do have two good friends, and they're dating. Sam, I tell you, if you hurt Abby, I will haunt you," I say jokingly, looking at the camera. "Anyway, I guess something interesting is that I like to write stories. I have a few of them going now, actually." I pull out my little notebook from an inside pocket of my dress. "Would you like to hear a little bit?"

"Of course!" Caesar says, excitedly. "Please, Sofie, please. Read a little bit to us."

"Okay then," I say. I've already decided what I'm going to read at the interview, but I pretend to consider, flipping the pages with my hand on my chin. No _Milky Way_. This, science-fiction, I guess you would call it, wouldn't go over well with the Capitol. They would think that I'm crazy, maybe that I'm anti-Capitol. No, fiction is much better. So, I pick an excerpt from _Luna and George_ that I think will work well. I begin to read.

"

 _Luna pulls out her sword and swipes it at the automaton. She cuts of the metal head, and sparks fly. She hears the continued sounds of metal on metal from behind her, her only sign that George is still there, still fighting with her. Will, that and the fact that she hasn't heard any screams or been impaled from behind yet. She slices off the arm of another machine, diving to cut up its legs._

"

"So, uh, what did you think?" I ask.

"That was very interesting, Sofia," Caesar says. "It sounds like it's part of a longer story though. Do you have a name for it?"

"Please, Sofie, Caesar," I say. "And you're right. It is part of a longer story. I call it _Luna and George._ It's a fictional adventure romance. And I hope that I'll get back one day to finish it. I don't think that there will be much time to write in the Arena." I smile.

"I think you're right about that, Sofie." Caesar says. "I hope you get back to finish it too." He smiles and stands up. "It was nice to meet you. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have."

"Nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say, and shake his hand. I walk offstage, and he calls Spire.

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

I walk onto stage in a nice suit. I don't particularly care for it, but Ashley says that I might need Sponsors, so I wear it.

"Hello, Spire," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say, and shake hands with him.

"How are you liking the Capitol?" He asks.

"It's very nice. Much fancier than District Five," I say.

"I imagine," Caesar says. "Anything that particularly strikes your fancy?"

"Not really," I say. I can tell that he's dissatisfied with that answer, so I try for something else. "Maybe the amount of food. In District Five this would be a feast."

"I see," Caesar says. "So, Spire, is there anyone special back in District Five?"

"There is, actually," I say. "My girlfriend, Rachel. Love you, Rachel!" I say, waving at the camera.

"So you'll be wanting to get back to her then?" Caesar asks.

"Yes, I do," I say.

"So, Spire," Caesar says, "why did you volunteer? Why not stay home with your girlfriend?"

"Oh," I say. When I had told Ashley the truth, that I just did it in the spur of the moment, she told me how to put it during the interview. "I just felt a sudden burst of confidence, I guess. I really felt like I could do it, and like I didn't want any of my friends to get hurt."

"I see," Caesar says. "It was very nice to meet you, Spire, and I'm afraid that's all the time we have."

"Nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say, as I stand up and shake his hand. I walk offstage as he calls the girl from District Six.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

I walk out onto stage in a blue dress. My stylist says that it matches the color of my eyes. I don't really care. I just want this all to be over.

"Hello, Lindsay," Caesar says as I walk onto stage.

"Hi," I reply. I quickly shake his hand and flop, un-lady-like, into my chair.

"So, Lindsay, what have you enjoyed most about the Capitol?" Caesar asks.

"The beds," I say. It's true, the beds here are very nice. I know because I spend all my free time in one.

"I agree!" Caesar says. "I had to drag myself out of bed this morning. They're so comfy! You can't see the lines on my face, can you?" He asks the audience, and the shout reassurances at him. He waves them off. "So, Lindsay, is there anyone special for you back in District Six?"

"No," I say. Then some small part of me says, _If you're going to die, screw Edmund._ "Except for maybe my bully for years, Edmund Caden. He's bullied me for a long time. Not that I don't deserve it, but it- it doesn't feel- it doesn't feel- feel- right." I'm crying now. Tears stream down my face, and I cover it with my hands.

"Really?" Caesar asks. "Do you want to tell us more?" He asks the question with a reassuring tone, trying to soothe me. I shake my hand. I feel his hand on my back, trying to comfort me. He leans in and whispers to me, "Lindsay, you can go now. Stand on up, okay?" I stand up, and he pulls back. "It was nice to meet you, Lindsay," he says.

"You too," I say through my tears. I shake his hand again and walk offstage.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D6- POV_

I listen to Lindsay's interview. She's not as pathetic as I thought. Still very pathetic though. Just not as much as I thought. She's caused issues for me though. I'll have to kill her. She might babble, but she won't fight. Screw her. I walk onstage after she breaks down a minute before her interview is supposed to end. I'm wearing a nice suit, although I doubt that it'll matter much now.

"Hello, Edmund," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I reply. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Edmund. Let's get right to the meat of it," Caesar says. "Was Lindsay telling the truth?"

I had a plan. I was supposed to appear strong and confident. Not a bully, just strong. Lindsay has made me out to be a bully. I guess I just have to tell the truth. "She was sort of right. I do hit her. I try to make her stronger though. I tell her to fight back, she just never does. So she deserves it, doesn't she, if she doesn't fight back? I don't bully her, I help her." For some reason, Caesar seems –off put- by my answer.

"I.. see," he says. He pauses for a second, then his face goes back into its normal expression. "So, Edmund, is there anyone special back in District Six?"

"No, not really," I say.

"Okay then, Edmund," Caesar says. He still seems a little shaken. "Um… I think that's all the time we have, Edmund. It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and I leave as he calls the girl from District Seven.

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV_

I walk onto stage in a blue ball gown, very much like the one I wore on the train. My hair is in a ponytail, with my mother's ribbon in it. Valr originally wanted a bun, but then he realized that if I wore my mother's ribbon, I could mention it, and by extension her, in my interview.

"Hello, Aurora," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say.

"Please, sit," he says, and motions to the chair. I sit down properly and smile. "So, Aurora, what have you enjoyed about the Capitol?"

"I know it's a cliché, and that other people have said this, but I really like the food," I say. "It gets everywhere so quickly, and there's so much of it! It's delicious!"

"I see," he says. "The food her is delicious. I may be guilty of having too much!" Laughs from the audience. "So, Aurora, tell us about yourself. Is there anyone special back in District Seven?"

I remember a piece of advice from Sophia, "Answer the question you wish they asked, not always what they ask." I smile, a sad smile.

"Not really," I say. "I've never really had time for boys. Since I have to work and take care of my dad – no, I shouldn't have said that. He takes care of me, and I take care of him. We help each other out. We have to, since my mom died."

"Your mother died?" Caesar asks. "When?"

"A year and three months ago," I say. "She died with her unborn child. My unborn sister," I wipe water from my eyes. I still do get a little sad thinking about it. "She was wonderful, but…" I trail off. They know what I mean. "Anyway, this ribbon," I point to the ribbon in my hair, "is all I have left of her."

"I'm so sorry, Aurora," Caesar says. "That ribbon is very beautiful, on a beautiful woman. Can I presume that we'll be seeing it in the Arena?"

"Thank you, Caesar," I say, and force a blush, "and yes, yes, you will."

"I see. Thank you, Aurora. That's all the time we have. It was very nice to meet you," Caesar says.

"It was nice to meet you too," I say. I stand up, and shake hands with him. I walk offstage as he calls Cyder.

 _Cyder Lamentian –17- -D7- POV_

I walk onto stage in a nice suit.

"Hello, Cyder," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. "Nice to meet you."

"You as well, Cyder," Caesar says. "Please, sit down." We both sit down.

"So, Cyder, tell us about yourself. Any family back in District Seven? A girlfriend, maybe?" Caesar asks.

"I do have a family," I say. "I have two siblings, one wonderful brother and sister each. My adoptive parents, the mayor of District Seven and his wife, are wonderful to me. As for a girlfriend… I think that if I get back I'll have one. This one girl, Juniper is her name, hi Juniper, I really liked her for a long time and didn't really think she felt the same way, but… well, let's just say that after I got Reaped, she… told me how she felt."

"That's good for you then, Cyder," Caesar says. "So, you have a lot of people to get home to?"

"Yes, I do," I say. "I hope to come back to all of them one day. If I win, I'll try to help out Aurora's family, make sure that they're alright."

"That's very noble of you, Cyder," Caesar says. "So, you mentioned Aurora. Do you two know each other? Is there a partnership there?"

"We knew each other a little bit in District Seven, we were," I smile as I remember the word that Aurora gave me on the train. "Acquaintances. We are going to be allies, until the end, at least." I smile at my own joke.

"I see," Caesar says. "Can you tell us anything about your strategy?"

"I'd rather not," I say. "Air of mystery and all that. Like Brooke."

"Of course, of course," Caesar says. "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Cyder."

"Very nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. We stand, shake hands, and I walk offstage as he calls the girl from District Eight.

 _Twyler Onzui –16- -D8- POV_

I walk out onstage in a light blue dress that matches my eyes. A lot of Tributes seem to be doing that this year. I walk, a little unsteady in the heels, over to where Caesar waits for me.

"Hi, Twyler," Caesar says.

"Hi, Caesar," I respond. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Twyler, tell us about yourself. Any friends? Any family? A boyfriend, perhaps?" Caesar asks.

"Well, I'm an orphan," I say. "I never knew my parents, and sometimes I still wonder about them. Why they gave me up for adoption, where they are now, if they're even still alive." I don't mention the possibility that they could have been executed. "Luckily, I have an adoptive family. Two wonderful adoptive parents, thank you guys, and… well I guess that this segues into the boyfriend bit. My adoptive… I don't really want to use the word brother, but I guess that's what Calico would be. So… Calico, I had a crush on him for the past four years, and… I may or may not have kissed him in the Justice Building before I left."

"Really?" Caesar asks, evidently happy for some juicy Tribute gossip. "And how did he react?"

"He, uh, he kissed me back. I don't know if that's because he felt the same way about me, or because he felt bad for me, but still… it was nice. I'm happy that he knows how I feel, especially since I probably won't get another chance to tell him," I say. I'm happy to give him all the gossip he wants, if it helps me win. I doubt I have very good odds.

"Wow. That sounds like it must have been a very happy moment," Caesar says. Of course he would think that it would all be happy, not bittersweet. For him, being picked for the Games must be a wonderful thing. I doubt he'd like it when he got run though. Heh. "Have you made any new friends, any allies?"

"Not really, unfortunately," I say.

"I see," Caesar says. "Can you tell us about your strategy?"

"I don't really have one," I say, twirling my braid around one finger. I'm trying to act ditsy, be underestimated. I don't want anyone else to know my strategy. It's risky, but it could work. Hopefully it will.

"Okay then," Caesar says. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Twyler. Good luck."

"Thank you, Caesar. A pleasure as well," I say, and shake his hand. Then I walk offstage as he calls Kaine.

 _Kaine Thomason_ – _14- -D8- POV_

I walk onstage in a nice suit.

"Hello, Kaine," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Kaine, tell us about yourself," Caesar says. "Friends, family, hopes and dreams."

"Well, Caesar," I say. "My parent were executed when I was seven. I don't remember them that well, but I know that they must have been misguided if they were executed." No, I don't know that. I know that they were probably better than all these Capitol people. I know that they were good people, and that the Capitol is evil. I also know that if I want a chance at Sponsors, I have to be adamantly pro-Capitol. So I am. "Anyway, luckily my aunt and uncle took me in, and they've been good to me. I live with them and my cousins, Arthur and Mara. They've been wonderful to me. As for hopes and dreams, I don't really have much in that department. Right now I just want to focus on surviving."

"I see," Caesar says. "So, do you have any allies to help you survive?"

"Not really," I say. "I think I'll do okay on my own though."

"I'm sure you will," Caesar says, reassuringly. "So, part of your strategy is going it alone. Any more information you want to share with us?"

"I think I'll skip that," I say. "Don't want my enemies getting wind of what I'm planning."

"Of course," Caesar says. "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Kaine. I'm afraid that's all the time we have. May the odds be ever in your favor!"

"Thank you, Caesar," I say. We shake hands, and I walk offstage as he calls the girl from nine. Azalea, I think. It doesn't matter. She's just another enemy.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- D9- POV_

I walk onto stage in a cream colored dress. It's actually more like a ballgown, it drags under my feet. Luckily, I managed to convince Lyla that I should wear flats. I am _not_ teetering around in heels.

"Hello, Azalea," Caesar says. "How are you?"

"Hello, Caesar," I say. "I'm pretty good, how about you?"

"I'm doing wonderful, Azalea," he says. "So, what have you enjoyed most about your time in the Capitol?"

"I don't really know," I say. "It's all so awe-inspiring."

"I can understand that," Caesar says. "So, tell me a bit about yourself. What's home like? How is your family?"

"Well," I say, "District Nine itself isn't much to talk about, but my family is nice enough. My dad is a great guy, and so is my brother, even if Basil has a hard time showing it sometimes. My aunt Holly and my cousins, Willow and Flora, are wonderful too. My mom died when I was two, so I never really knew her."

"They sound like nice people, Azalea," Caesar says. "So, Azalea, do you have any good friends?"

"I have a few friends," I say. "Probably too many to name."

"I see," Caesar says. "So, since your arrival here, have you made any allies? Any new friends?"

"I've made two great friends," I say, trying to sound like a little kid, sound weak and a little scared. And like I think those 'friends' won't jump at the first chance to kill me they get. Actually, if I do it right, they'll think of me like their daughter, so they won't, but still… "Abi and Wyatt, actually. We're going to be allies. For a little bit, I -I guess."

"That sounds like a good plan. I'm assuming there's no more of it you want to share with us?" Caesar asks.

"Not really, no," I say.

"Of course," Caesar says. "Well, that's all the time we have. It was nice meeting you, Azalea."

"Nice meeting you too, Caesar," I say. We stand and shake hands, and I walk offstage as he calls Angus.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

I walk onto stage in a nice suit. I've managed to retain control of my body for a bit, so that's nice. I still can't believe that I'm on a stage in the Capitol, doing an interview. For the freaking Hunger Games. _This is all on you, Miller,_ I think.

"Hello, Angus," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Angus, tell us about yourself. Friends? Family?" Caesar asks.

"I… I… used to have a family. I don't know so much anymore. My mom… she… she..." I feel tears start to run down my cheeks, and have to prevent Dem from coming out. "She… died the day of the Reaping. And my sister, I'm… I'm not sure if she's still… if she's still… if she's still alive." I say.

"I'm so sorry, Angus," Caesar says, and reaches out a comforting hand to pat me on the back. "I hope that your sister is still alive. If you don't mind me asking, is that why you volunteered? To get away from your family?" I think about what to say for a moment. I didn't volunteer. But they can't know that. It might seem interesting to them that I'm crazy, but no one would want me to win, nobody would Sponsor me. At least this way it seems like I'm just sad. Not that anyone will probably Sponsor me anyway, but at least I have more of a chance this way.

"Ye- yes. Yes," I say. "I… I didn't want to deal with it. I… I know that it was a cowardly thing to do, but… but maybe this way… maybe if Sunnoria is still alive… maybe I can get her treatments. Maybe I can make her better."

"I see. I hope that she is still alive, Angus," Caesar says. "I don't think it was cowardly at all. I think you knew that this was your only chance of making her better, right?"

"I..." I see what he's doing. He's giving me a way to look good. "I… guess so."

"Of course," Caesar says, a smile on his face. "We really need a box of tissues up here this year, don't we?" He jokes, and smiles at the audience.

"I guess we do," I say, laughing, even though I still sniffle.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Angus. I'm afraid that's all the time we have," Caesar says.

"It was nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. We stand up and shake hands. I walk offstage as he calls the girl from ten, Belinda.

 _Belinda Mosler –15- -D10- POV_

I walk onto stage in a black dress with matching heels. I swear the dress is the same color as my hair. I smile as I walk onto stage.

"Hello, Belinda," Caesar greets me.  
"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Belinda, what have you enjoyed most about your time in the Capitol?" Caesar asks.

"I didn't enjoy it at first, but the showers have been really nice. Once you figure out how to get them working, that is," I say. It's a joke, and the truth. Honestly, the shower wasn't that good, but it was complicated.

"I see," Caesar says, and smiles. "I know how complicated they can be. Why do you think I wear long sleeves?" He jokes, and the crowd laughs. I laugh good-naturedly as well. "So, Belinda, tell us about yourself. Friends, family, boyfriend?"

"My family is wonderful, my mom, my dad, my brother Falco, and my little sister Circe. They're very loving, and I hope to be able to go back to them," I say. "I have two good friends, Claudia and Eve. Hi guys!" I wave at the camera. "As for now, that's a no on the boyfriend bit, sadly."

"I see," Caesar says. "They sound delightful. Have you made any allies in your time here?"

"Me and my District partner, Noah," I say. "We didn't really know each other, but more so then anybody else here, you know?"

"Of course," Caesar says. "Is there anything else you can tell us about your strategy?"

"Not much," I say. "But I can tell you that I won't be hanging around to be stabbed or shot. We're going to get in, then get out."

"Of course," Caesar says. "Wise words, Belinda. Well, it was very nice to meet you, but that's all the time we have."

"It was nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. We stand and shake hands, and I walk offstage as he calls Noah.

 _Noah Jones –17- -D10- POV_

I walk onto stage in a suit that makes me look very nice, if I do say so myself.

"Hello, Noah," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Noah, what has been your favorite thing about the Capitol so far?" Caesar asks.

"I know this is probably a weird one, but I really liked the training area," I say. "All the trainers were really helpful, and the equipment is great. I wonder how much time and money went into it."

"Well," Caesar says, "I don't have the exact figures, but I do know that it's closed for a large part of every year for renovations, and that it was quite the project after the 50th Hunger Games to upgrade it to what it is now."

"I see," I say. "That's interesting, I didn't know they redid it after the 50th Hunger Games. Thanks for that, that's interesting."

"No problem," Caesar says. "I do consider myself somewhat of a Games history buff, for obvious reasons. So, Noah, tell us about yourself. Friends, family, girlfriend?"

"I have two very loving parents, hi, Mom, Dad," I say and wave at the camera, "and a great dog named Bailey. As for friends, I have one friend named Caz, and even though he makes me want to kill him sometimes, he's a great friend. And… uh..." I feel a little nervous and I don't know why. It's not like it's a big secret that I'm gay. I guess that just this many people is a little scary. "… that brings me to the girlfriend, I guess. I've never had a girlfriend, although there was this one guy that I had a crush on. But I know he didn't notice me, since he's straight." Odd, I excepted more of a reaction from the crowd. They're at their normal noise level, no gasps or anything. Then I remember that this is the Capitol. They're probably a little more accepting here then in District Ten.

"I see," Caesar says. "Will, maybe you can double check that he is straight when you get home." He smiles. "So, Belinda said that you two were allies. Is that true?"

"Yes," I say. "She seems nice enough, and we stand a lot better odds together than alone. I'm not going to sacrifice myself for her though, at least not yet. We both understand that."

"Of course," Caesar says. "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Noah. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have."

"It was nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. We stand up and shake hands. I walk offstage as he calls the girl from District Eleven, Athena, I think.

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

I walk onto stage in a beautiful white wedding gown. It drags on the ground by my feet, and the veil is pushed back so that my face can be seen. It is the most _fluffy_ dress I have ever seen, much less worn. But it is beautiful, and makes me look beautiful too. Or at least that's what my stylist says. I'm inclined to agree with her.

"Hello, Athena," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and I sit down, crossing my legs like a proper lady.

"So, Athena, let's get right to it," Caesar says. "First, you look quite beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you," I say, blushing slightly.

"Second, that's… an unusual dress to wear for this, isn't it? Unless you plan to propose to me, that is," Caesar says, smiling. "And if so, I would be forced to decline, although I wish I could accept, I don't think my wife would appreciate that. We're just married, you know. Three months now."

"No, Caesar. No proposals," I say. "I don't think my fiance would appreciate that very much," I smile.

"Your fiance?" Caesar asks. "Please, tell us more!"

"Of course," I say, and smile. "Alix is his name, Alix Feere. He is the most wonderful man in the world. His smile lights up whole rooms," I realize that I'm smiling unconsciously as I think about Alix. "His voice is beautiful, and he's just the sweetest guy ever. We've been together three years, and were planning to get married in a few months when I turn eighteen. We're still planning to get married actually. I just need to win first."  
"I see," Caesar says. "I hope you're able to get back to him. So, can you tell us about the rest of your family?"

"Well," I say. "I never knew my mother. My father was a nice man, before he was murdered." I hear gasps from the audience, but I plow on before Caesar can get in a word. "To make a long story short, my stepmother always hated me. She said that my dad always put me before her kids, my stepsisters, Alia and Ainsley. Ainsley and Alia are wonderful people, by the way. Anyway, one day, my dad came home, and she asked him to kick me out. He said no, so she shot him, and tried to shoot me. Me, Alia, and Ainsley ran, and we've been living on the streets ever since. That was four years ago. Oh, and I'm pretty sure she's dead now. She came to see me, I had her arrested, and I told the Peacekeepers everything that happened. I'm pretty sure they executed her."

"That's… amazing, Athena," Caesar says. "I'm glad you survived that so that you can be here with us, and sorry that you went through that. I think that boosts your own odds though, having already gone through something like that." He pauses for a second, as if trying to remember the script he has. "So, Athena, have you made any friends? Any allies?"

"One, actually," I say. "Sofie. She seems like a nice person, and we really get along. We'll be allies."

"I see," Caesar says. "I'm sure that the two of you will work well together. Well, it was nice to meet you, Athena, but I'm afraid that that's all the time we have."

"Of course. It was nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. We shake hands, and I smile and wave at the crowd before I walk offstage as Caesar calls Calyx.

 _Calyx Anther –17- -D11- POV_

I walk onto stage in a nice suit.

"Hello, Calyx," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Calyx, what have you enjoyed most about the Capitol?" Caesar asks. I remember Isabella's advice. Be honest.

"I really like the elevators," I say. "I didn't realize that anything could go that fast. And all the glass. It's really interesting."

"I see," Caesar says. "They are quite something, aren't they? Sometimes I think that we in the Capitol forgot just how amazing some of our technology is. So, Calyx, can you tell us about yourself? Family? Girlfriend? Friends?"

"I have a lot of friends, but I'd use up all of my time if I tried to name them all," I say. I force a smile. "I have a small family, it's just me, my parents, and my sister Corolla, but I love them all very much. No girlfriend, not right now. A few years ago I dated this girl named Janette, but let's just say it didn't end well."

"Of course," Caesar says. "So, Calyx, have you made any friends since you got here? Any allies?"

"Not really," I say. "I'm very nervous around people, unfortunately. I don't think I'll do very well, but…" I trail off. There's nothing more to say.

"Don't doubt yourself, Calyx," Caesar says. "Remember, we had a winner from District Eleven just last year."

"Of course," I say. "You're right."

"You know I am," Caesar says. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Calyx. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have. Goodbye, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Thank you," I say. "It was nice meeting you too, Caesar," I say, as we shake hands. I walk offstage as he calls the girl from twelve, Abi, I think.

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

I walk onto stage in a nice cream dress.

"Hello, Abi," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say. We shake hands and sit down.

"So, Abi, what have you enjoyed most about the Capitol?" Caesar asks.

"The food," I say. That's an easy question. "There's just so much of it! And it's all delicious!"

"Of course!" Caesar says. "We wouldn't want you to starve, now would we?" _Not before you kill us, at least,_ I think. "So, Abi, can you tell us about your family? Your friends? If you have a boyfriend?" Caesar asks.

"Well," I say, "My family is wonderful. My mom is great, and I have two little siblings. My brother, Thomas, and my little sister Liliana. Unfortunately though, Liliana has cancer. I-" I stumble over my words a little bit. "I- if I win I'll use my money to help her."

"I'm so sorry," Caesar says. "I hope that you can get her some help when you get home."

"Thank you," I say, and wipe tears off my cheeks. "Anyways, I don't have that many friends. Except for Wyatt. That Wyatt, yeah. And uh… I guess I should mention that we're actually a couple. Sort of. It's complicated, but we love each other."

"Really?" Caesar asks. "Can you tell us more?"

"Just that he's the sweetest guy in the world, and that I would sacrifice myself for him if I needed to. And that he's agreed to use his money, if he wins, to pay for Liliana's treatments," I say. "I'll let him tell you the rest."

"Of course," Caesar says. "I look forward to it. So, can I presume that you two will be allies then?"

"Yes, you can," I say.

"I see," Caesar says. "So, Azalea mentioned that she would be allying with you two. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is," I say. "We'll protect her." I think that I should add _for a little bit,_ but then I realize that I don't want to kill her. She's so young and… but then I remember Liliana. "For a while, at least." I really hope that we don't have to kill her. Maybe I can ask her to use her money to help Liliana… But then what about Wyatt? Ugh, this is hard. We should have said no. Oh well. We're stuck with her now.

"Of course," Caesar says. "Do you have anything else you want to share with us?"

"Not that I can think of, no," I say.

"Okay then," Caesar says. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Abi. I hope you do well."

"Thank you, Caesar. Nice to meet you as well," I say. We stand up and I shake his hand. I walk offstage as he calls Wyatt.

 _Wyatt Fritz –14- -D12- POV_

I walk onto stage in a nice green suit. My stylist says it brings out my eyes.

"Hello, Wyatt," Caesar says.

"Hello, Caesar," I say.

"So, Wyatt, you know I have to ask. Is what Abi said true? Are you two in love?" He asks. No starter questions then, I guess.

"Yes, it's true," I say. "I love her. She's the best person ever, she's so sweet and caring. And I will make sure that she doesn't sacrifice herself for me. If either one of us does any sacrificing, it's going to be me. And if, somehow, I win, which I don't even want to think about, but if it happens somehow, I'll make sure that Liliana gets her treatments."

"Of course," Caesar says. "So, can you tell us about yourself? Your friends, besides Abi, that is? Your family? I won't ask about your girlfriend again," he smiles.

"I don't really have any friends, besides Abi," I say. "As for my family, I used to live in District Four, with my mom Chyrl and my brother Ethan, and they were great people. Still are, I imagine. Now, I live in District Twelve, obviously. I live with my Uncle, the mayor, my aunt, and my cousin, Madge. They're all really great people, especially Madge."

"I see," Caesar says. "Have you heard from your mother yet?"

"Not yet," I say. "They tell me that I should get a letter from her before the Games start."

"I'm sure you will, then" Caesar says. "Well, Wyatt, it was very nice to meet you. I hope you do well, and that you or Abi can get back to Liliana. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have."

"It was nice to meet you too, Caesar," I say. "Thank you." We stand and shake hands, and then I walk offstage.

When I get offstage, I see Abi. I start to walk towards her, but a Peacekeeper stands in front of me.

"Sir," he says. "Here is the letter from your mother." He hands me an envelope.

"Thank you," I say, and he walks away. I open the envelope. Inside is a single piece of paper. Abi walks over to me.

"What is it?" She asks.

"A letter. From my mom," I say.

"Oh," she says. "Let's read it together, then."

"Okay," I say, and start to read.

 _Wyatt,_

 _I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I don't really know what to say except that I wish this hadn't happened. I could go on and on about how guilty I am, how I wish I could have supported you. How I wish that I had stayed with your father. But I won't. You don't need to hear that. I saw the Reaping. You and that Abi girl have something, I can see that. I imagine that you would sacrifice yourself for her. I would tell you not to, but I know that it won't work. So, I guess I'll just say this. Make sure that if you sacrifice yourself, she'll win. And make sure she's worth it. Make sure she's the one. And don't be discouraged. That girl from eleven won last year. You can win this year._

 _Love,_

 _Mom_

 _P.S. I'm sorry, bro. But, what mom said. I feel the same way. Love you forever, Wyatt. – Ethan_

I finish reading and stare at Abi. She looks at me.

"Am I the one?" She asks. I look into her eyes. I see the honesty in them. I see what she wants the answer to be, what she's afraid it will be, and what she would say if I asked her that question.

"Yes," I say. I kiss her. Then she says, "You should probably write her back, you know."

"You're right," I say. "Hey!" I shout to the Peacekeeper, who hadn't walked as far away as I thought he had. He walks back over. "Hey. Is there any chance that I could write something back to her?"

"Of course," he says. "You can give it to me, I'll make sure it gets to her."

"Okay, thanks," I say. "Shoot! Does anyone here have a pen and paper?" I look around the room.

"I do," a tan-skinned, blonde haired girl says. I vaguely remember that she's the Tribute from District Five. She pulls a notebook and pencil out of her dress. I remember now, the writer. S something."

"Here you go," she says, handing them to me. "You should write your mom."

"Thanks..." I say, trailing off.

"Sofie," she says.

"Thanks, Sofie," I say.

"No problem, Wyatt. I will need them back, though."

"Of course," I say.

I start to write.

 _Mom,_

 _It's alright. You shouldn't be sorry. This isn't your fault, none of it is. You haven't done anything wrong. You're right, me and Abi are together, and she is the one. You should know, when one of us wins, we'll use some of the money for Abi's sister. But we'll make sure that there's some for you and Ethan, so you two can have a good life, move up in the world. Maybe you can even pay for some training for Ethan, just in case the worst happens. One last thing, mom. Don't prepare for me to come home. Abi will probably come home, but probably not me. Okay? Promise me that you won't hope that I'll come home, because you'll just be torturing yourself. I love you. Bye forever, mom._

 _Love,_

 _Wyatt_

 _P.S. It's not your fault, Ethan. I love you too, bro. Take care of mom for me. Love you forever, Ethan. -Wyatt_

I tear the page out of Sofie's book, fold it up, and hand it to the Peacekeeper.

"Here you go," I say.

"I'll make sure this reaches its destination," he says, and walks away.

"Thank you!" I shout after him. I turn to Sofie and hand her back the pencil and her notebook. "And thank you, Sofie. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." I smile at being over-dramatic, and she laughs.

"No problem, Wyatt. Always happy to help. Until I have to kill you, that is," she says. She smiles, a sad smile. "Until next time," she says, and reaches out her hand. I shake it.

"Until next time," I say. Then the Peacekeepers take us back to our rooms for one more night of sleep, before we die in the morning.

 **A/N: Woohoo! ~10,910 words! I teared up a little at the end here. Anyway, I want to apologize for being gone so long. I had some personal stuff, and got a little depressed a few times. Now, with the help of some good friends (Hawkmaid), I'm feeling better. I'm committed to finishing this story without another long break, so don't worry about that. BUT, if I do cease to update for a little bit, please poke the author, okay? I do want to finish this story.**

 **Anyway, what did you guys think? Was it good? Who is your favorite? Who do you think will go far, and who will die in the Bloodbath? I hope you guys liked this update! Also, with this author's note, this chapter is up to 11,044 words.**


	26. The Bloodbath

**Heat**

 **Chapter 25**

 **The Bloodbath**

 **A/N: I feel that this is pretty obvious, because, you know, the Hunger Games, but this chapter contains descriptions of violence and death. Nothing too graphic, but people will die. You have been warned, proceed at your own risk. Let me know if anybody wants me to tone the descriptions down.**

 **One year ago, minus about thirty seconds…**

 _Galia Faraan –17- -D4- POV_

I hear the gong and run off my platform, straight for a sword I had spotted when the countdown was going on. I just need to grab the sword, grab some food, and then I'll run. Then I'll just hide, mostly. That's my plan. I couldn't find any allies, the careers didn't want me because I didn't train, so I'm alone in this fight. Against twenty-three others. I run. The sword is just in front of me. I bend down to grab it- and find myself pushed forward, a searing pain in my chest. I scream. I look down. There's a sword running through my chest. Then it comes out with a sickening sound and a fresh burst of pain. I fall to the ground, and feel arms under me, lifting me up. I close my eyes, trying to block it out. I feel feet running. I'm being put down. I feel more pain, and I hear myself screaming. I wonder if Kai is watching. I hope not. I don't want him to see me like this. I know I'm going to die. I tune out the pain, there's nothing I can do about it anyway. I open my eyes and only see a white light. I think about Kai. I should have told him how I felt. I'm almost sure he felt the same way. I was just too nervous. I was a coward, and now I'm paying the price. I'll die, and he'll never have known how I felt. Before I drift off, I think, _I love you, Kai. Even if you never knew. Even if you'll never know. I love you._

 **Back to the present… T-30 Seconds until the timer goes off.**

 _Wyatt Fritz –14- -D12- POV_

I rise up from the launch tube, into the arena. I have to close my eyes because I'm suddenly blinded by the light. Maybe some sort of dark eye covering would be useful. What do they call them in the Capitol again? Sunglasses. Those would be nice. I open my eyes to see… _a desert!_ What the? I was excepting a forest or something. This is going to be a struggle just to survive. Should be fun. I look over at Abi. I see her blinking out the light from her own eyes, then she looks at me. I nod, and she gives me a thumbs up. We brace on our platforms, ready for the starting gong, and start to survey the area, looking for supplies. Easy to get to, minimal risk, hopefully,

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

I look around the arena. A desert. Shoot! This will be a problem. I look at Wyatt, and he nods at me. I give him a thumbs up, and brace for the games to start.

 _Calyx Anther –17- -D11- POV_

I rise up the tube into the arena. I look around. It is not what I was excepting to see. It's a desert. This will be a bit of a problem because my strategy is mostly to find a small weapon and hide most of the Games. The desert will make the hiding a bit harder, as I doubt that I'm going to find any waterfalls with grazing deer. Then again, maybe there will be a watering hole… I start scanning the Cornucopia for weapons. Ideally a dagger, or a short sword. A crossbow would be great, but that's not going to happen.

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

I rise up from the holding area into the arena. I'm blinded by the suddenly intense light. As soon as my eyes adjust, I find Sofie on the other side of the circle. I give her a thumbs up and she returns the gesture. And I realize that we're in a desert. Oh well, we planned for this. Sort of. I immediately turn my head to look behind me and all around. I see a grove of trees. If it goes beyond where I can see, which it looks like it does, we can hide there. Of course, they're desert trees, without leaves, and with some cacti interspersed, but a forest is still a forest. I look at Sofie again and point to the forest. She nods. That's where we're going. I start to scan the Cornucopia for a good weapon, getting ready for the starting gong.

 _Noah Jones –_ _17- -D10- POV_

I rise up into the arena, and after I recover from the blinding light, I realize that we're in a desert. _Shoot!_ I think. My and Belinda's plan essentially rested on hiding the whole game, but that won't be an option now. I give her a questioning look, and she shrugs.

 _Belinda Mosler –15- -D10- POV_

I rise into the arena and realize that it's a desert. I look at Noah. He gives me a questioning look. I know what he's thinking, that our strategy is going to, let's say, let's say that it'll have problems now. I shrug at him. I don't know what we'll do, but it seems like he excepts me too. I wish I could say, 'working on it'. Sadly, I can't. I scan the Cornucopia for a good weapon.

 _Angus Blush –17- -D9- POV_

I rise into the arena. After I blink the light out of my eyes, I realize something. There are no trees, no grass. There is only desert. _Crap_ , I think. _This should be fun_. Then I feel something – someone – coming out. _No!_ I think, but it's too late.

 _Azalea Saffron –12- -D9- POV_

I rise into the arena and blink the light out of my eyes. And the arena is a desert. Great. Just great. I look over and see Abi and Wyatt exchange glances. I wave. They wave back. I nod, they nod back. I get ready to run.

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

I rise out of the arena. I quickly blink the light out of my eyes, reminding myself to always be alert. I immediately start looking around the Cornucopia for a good killing weapon.

 _Twyler Onzui –16- -D8- POV_

I rise into the arena. Looking around I notice that it's a desert. Well, my plan didn't really hinge too much on the design of the Arena, I figured that I couldn't be sure. So, my plan is the same. Run into the Bloodbath, get a good survival kit. Get a good weapon. Kill anybody in the way, but try to stay under the radar, then run.

 _Cyder Lamentian –17- -D7- POV_

I rise into the arena. I am blinded by the sudden flash of light, but only for a few seconds. Then I look over at Aurora. I nod. She nods. We both know the plan. Get in on the edges, get out. I notice the blue ribbon in her hair. It looks pretty. It makes a good token, especially in contrast to our white clothes. I think of Juniper. I smile and start to scan the area.

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV  
_

I rise into the arena. I see that it's a desert. I return Cyder's nod and then start surveying the area for quick to grab weapons, ideally an ax, and for good places to run. I know that Cyder is doing the same.

 _Edmund Caden –16- -D6- POV_

I rise into the arena. I scoff when I realize what cheap trick the Gamemakers have pulled. A desert. Can't they be more creative? No matter, I'll still win. I quickly locate the biggest sword I can find. That's the one.

 _Lindsay Cutt –13- -D6- POV_

I rise into the arena. I look around. A desert. It doesn't really matter. I'll be dead soon anyway.

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

I rise into the arena. A desert. Nice. I hope that I can find enough water. I quickly start to locate killing weapons, ideally a spear.

 _Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

I rise into the arena. After I blink the sudden light out of my eyes and note the rocks and sand instead of the usual grass and trees, I look over at Athena. She gives me a thumbs-up and I give her one in return. There's a river that separates the platforms from the Cornucopia, with one path for each Tribute. The platforms aren't separated from each other, so somebody could easily get killed on their platform. We're all wearing a white t-shirt and pants, not good for stealth. I remember that it was an argument I had to have with my stylist, and then he had to have with the Gamemakers, to include an interior pocket on my shirt. We had to convince them that it didn't give me an advantage and that since I guess I could stab somebody with the pencil, we could consider it my token. Luckily, we won, so I still have my notepad and pencil. I hope that I'll live long enough to write in it. And that somehow, it will get home, hopefully not stained in blood. I start looking around for a weapon, and a place to run.

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

I rise into the arena, blinking the light out of my eyes. I remember when Galia did this. I thought she had such good chances, but- snap out of it. This is no time for reminiscing. I look over at Brooke. I need to protect her. She smiles. It looks pretty. Wait. Did I just think- No. Focus, Kai, focus. I smile back at her. I think of- Focus, Kai, focus!

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

I rise into the arena and blink the sunlight out of my eyes. I realize before I even open them that this must be a desert or a place like it. I open my eyes and realize that I'm right. I look over at Kai and smile. It takes a second, but then he smiles back. He looks so handsome when he- Focus, Brooke, focus. I look away and start scanning the area for weapons. Maybe a trident or a net. Or both. I know that Kai will be looking for a place to run.

 _Titanium Sparks –18- -D3- POV_

I rise into the arena. I'm annoyed by being blinded, even if it's only for a few seconds. I notice the desert that certainly has all the other Tributes, especially that pathetic little girl next to me, frightened. I fear nothing. I know I'll win. I start looking for killing weapons.

 _Rianna Meade –16- -D3- POV_

I rise into the arena. I look around. It's a desert. _Crap_ , I think. I should just run. That's what I'll do. I'll run and hide. Maybe somebody will gift me a dagger. Maybe I'll wrestle one from somebody else. I can survive without a weapon. I could probably make one. There must be cacti here, there's one now. I bet I could pull off a spike and use it as a weapon. I'll figure it out. First, run. I turn around, away from the Cornucopia, being careful not to step off my platform.

 _Arc Woods –18- -D2- POV_

I rise into the arena. I notice it's a desert, but I know that the careers will manage. They always have in the past, and now they have me. I look over at Lily and smile. She actually looks pretty, somehow, in her plain clothes.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

I rise into the arena, noting that it's a desert. It shouldn't be much of a problem. I notice Arc smiling at me, and smile back at him. He actually looks handsome. Hmm. Those thoughts could be problematic. I push them aside and start to scan the area.

 _Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV_

I rise into the arena. I notice that it's a desert, but I doubt that it'll be a problem. I remember Diamond, and I smile. _I'll be coming back to you victorious soon_ , I think. Then I start to look for the best weapon in the Cornucopia.

 _Satin Hermes –18- -D1- POV_

I rise into the arena. It's a desert, it shouldn't be much trouble. There have been deserts before. Around forty-five percent of the time, somebody from District One wins. Since I'm here, I think those odds increase. I look around for supplies, my part of the career agreement. And a good weapon, of course.

 **The Tributes stand on their platforms, absorbed in thought, as the last seconds count down to the start of the games.**

 **5.**

 **4.**

 **3.**

 **2.**

 **1.**

 _Gong!_

 _Edmund Caden POV_

I run off my platform a second after I hear the gong. I run right into the center of the Cornucopia. I look around, looking for what I spotted earlier. I see it, and grab it. It's a sword, a big one. I struggle for a second to hoist it, but then I grab it. I look back towards Lindsay's platform. I see her walking, literally walking, across the narrow bridge to the Cornucopia. I wish that I could kill her with just my fists, but that would leave me venerable for too long. Suddenly, she breaks into a sprint.

 _Lindsay Cutt POV_

I stand on my platform for a few seconds after the gong rings. Then, I start walking towards the Cornucopia. In the ten seconds I walk, I'm surprised that I haven't been shot with an arrow. Maybe I do stand a chance. Probably not. I see a glint of metal. A dagger, I think. Maybe it's worth a shot. I see Edmund lifting a giant sword and looking at me. At least I'll go out fighting. Screw Edmund for all he's done to me. I break into a sprint.

 _Edmund Caden POV_

Lindsay runs right at me. I hoist my sword. For a second, I think she'll run her neck right into the blade. Then, she ducks at the last second and runs under my blade. Why is she suddenly putting up a fight now?

 _Lindsay Cutt POV_

I duck under Edmund's sword and keep running. I dive for the dagger and grab it by the hilt. I roll onto my back and bring the dagger up in a defensive gesture. I see that it's unnecessary because Edmund is still struggling to bring his sword around. I take the dagger and rise to a crouch. I run at Edmund's leg.

 _Edmund Caden POV_

I feel a stabbing pain in my leg. I look down and realize that a dagger is sticking out of my leg. And that dagger is attached to Lindsay. She picked a mighty fine time to fight back.

 _Lindsay Cutt POV_

I pull the dagger out of Edmund's leg, to a nice scream. He shouts some profanities at me. I stand up to put the dagger into his belly and – feel a hot pain across my neck.

 _Edmund Caden POV_

Lindsay stands up and lunges at my chest. Her final mistake, and one she won't live to regret. I swing my sword in front of me, and her head comes cleanly off her body. It falls on the rock behind her body, which falls to her knees. As she topples forward, I grab the dagger from her hand and step back. I put the dagger down, and grab a survival pack nearby. I sling it over my shoulder, pick up the dagger again, and start to run off. Then, I see the boy from District Nine. He's bent over, trying to lift three spears at a time, without success. I decide to start towards him.

 _Miller Blush POV_

I took over from Angus before the starting gong even went off. I'm the only way he can hope to survive. I decided on a much riskier plan than he had, with a much higher reward. I run into the center of the Cornucopia, picking up a survival kit while looking around for weapons. I see a stack of spears and struggle to pick them up. I manage to pick them up. Then I hear footsteps coming towards me. I see the boy from six coming towards me. He's got an ugly wound in his left leg, but it doesn't seem to phase him. Probably adrenaline. Either way, he's got a big sword and wants to kill me. And Angus. And Dem. So I lob a spear at him. And I miss. He's getting closer. I throw another spear. This one barely misses. He's so close now that I try to stab at him. His sword cuts through my spear.

 _Edmund Caden POV_

The boy from nine notices me and throws one of his spears towards me. It misses, and I don't even have to dodge. The next one comes closer, but it still doesn't hit. He's a bad shot. I cut through his last spear with my sword. I can see the fear on his face, and I like it.

 _Miller Blush POV_

I don't have time to think of another plan before I feel a hot pain through my chest. I realize that the other boy's sword is sticking through my chest. He pulls it out, and I fall backward.

 _Edmund Caden POV_

After I dispose of the boy from nine, I look around for anyone else who looks like an easy kill. I don't see anyone, so I pick one of the clumps of desert trees scattered around the Cornucopia and run for it.

 _Rianna Meade POV_

I hear the starting gong. It sounds like the gunshot that killed Thea. I fall down to my platform.

 _Satin Hermes POV_

I run off my platform and straight into the Cornucopia. I grab some of the supplies I was looking at, and a longbow.

 _Belinda Mosler POV_

I notice a small knife, not a dagger, but a knife, only a few feet away from my platform. As soon as the gong sounds, I dash and pick it up. Then, I look at Noah. He's found a small sleeping bag. We don't really care about many supplies, mainly about getting out of the danger area as quickly as possible. We get closer together, as we run for a clump of trees. We're about halfway there when I feel a sharp pain in the back of my chest. I look down and see an arrow sticking through my chest before I fall face down on the ground.

 _Noah Jones POV_

I grab a sleeping bag. I think that I and Belinda will sleep in shifts, one keeping watch, one sleeping. Our plan is pretty much to hide out all Games, and only go and kill people at the end. Then, we might have to fight each other, but… We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. I see her stumble as we run. There's an arrow sticking out of her chest. I slow down, and try, unsuccessfully to grab her. A small part of my brain reminds me that she's dead and to keep running. Too late, as I feel an arrow through my back, protruding from my stomach, and sending me careening forward into the dirt.

 _Satin Hermes POV_

I grab the bow and take aim at two fleeing Tributes. It doesn't matter who they are, but from their positions around the Cornucopia, I'm guessing they're the pair from ten. I send an arrow through the girl's heart. The boy slows down to help her. His sentimentality will get him killed. I send another arrow at him. I was aiming for his heart, as he squatted down to help her, but I miss and hit his stomach. Oh well. He's dead either way. I sling the bow and quiver over my shoulder and start to stand up from my crouching shooting position when I feel pain through my back. A spear shows through my heart, and I fall forward onto the ground.

 _Spire Windell POV_

I run off my platform towards the Cornucopia. I look for a survival pack, but the closest one is by the careers. I settle for a bottle of water and a sleeping bag, slinging them over my shoulder. I grab a spear. I spot the girl from one, squatting with a bow. She shoots an arrow at somewhere I can't see. She is somehow only a few feet away from me, but it makes sense, as we are both deep inside the Cornucopia. I rush towards her, aiming my spear at her heart. I adjust quickly as she starts to stand up. My spear runs through her heart, and I pull it out quickly. I only hear a quick sputter from her, before I run away from the Cornucopia.

 _Topaz Hazard POV_

I run off of my platform, and into the Cornucopia. I grab a sword, a tent, and a flask of water. I turn to check on Satin, who should be getting us supplies. I see the boy from five behind her. I go to shout out, but it's already too late. She's dead. She crumples to the ground. That cowardly child! I will skin him alive! He runs off into the woods. I'll get him later. I continue grabbing supplies.

 _Titanium Sparks POV_

I run into the Cornucopia. I grab a battleax and a large bottle of water. Then I look back. I see the pathetic girl crumpled on her platform. This way, I'll prove myself to the careers. I take my ax and run towards her. She starts to stir, but not soon enough. My ax comes down on her body just as she opens her eyes.

 _Lily Cross POV_

I run from my platform into the Cornucopia. I start to grab supplies. Once, I look up and see Titanium running towards a girl crumpled on her platform. He chops her- ugh. Does he think that will prove him to us? Killing a defenseless girl? He is truly a horrible person. I decide that I'll kill him first. Then, I see the girl from eight.

 _Twyler Onzui POV_

My plan is bold, but I think that it'll work. I run into the Cornucopia. I spot a survival kit and grab it. Then I look around for a bow. No bow. I see a long sword. Okay, I can work with that. I grab it and a knife and start to run. Then I hear footsteps behind me, gaining on me. I don't think I can outrun them, so I turn around. It's the girl from two. She has a sword and is coming right at me.

 _Lily C_ _ross_ _POV_

I grab a nearby sword and charge at the girl from eight. Everyone out of the way now, one less to kill later. She turns around and raises her sword once she hears me coming. I slow down, I don't want to run into her blade. I reach her and faint a stroke at her neck. I quickly come down towards her stomach, but she blocks me. Nice. She might actually put up a fight. I quickly pull back. I faint towards her left arm but pull up towards her neck at the last second. She doesn't see it. A squirt of blood comes from her neck, staining my shirt, and she falls backward.

 _Twyler Onzui POV_

I block her first strike. She backs away, and I get ready to block the second one. I see it coming and move my sword. In the blink of an eye though, her sword is in a completely different location, and I feel a streak of pain across my neck as I fall backward.

 _Sofie Guinness POV_

I see a pack of throwing knives by my platform. Good luck. Athena said she knew how to use those. I grab them, a knife, and a small pack of water. Tiny, maybe two sips, not more. I spot Athena. She has a sword and motions towards a grove of trees. I follow her and we run out of the kill zone. I try to ignore the sounds of violence behind me and weave so that I don't get hit in the back by an arrow. Amazingly, we make it to the trees alright, and disappear into them.

 _Athena Fallow POV_

I grab the sword I had spotted by my platform. Sofie should know how to use that. I also grab a small pack of food, a bar, really, a packet of water, and a small bag. Then I run towards a grove of trees I had noticed earlier, motioning for Sofie to follow me. She does, and amazingly, we reach the treeline without incident.

 _Azalea Saffron POV_

I spot a knife by my platform and grab it. Then I run towards Abi and Wyatt, who have a few small items and are already running for a grove of trees. I scoop up a ration bar on the way and run as fast as I can. We reach the treeline and take a few seconds to catch our breath, away from the possibility of sudden death.

 _Abi Hendrix POV  
_

I see a small pack of water by my platform. Further in is a sleeping bag. It's risky, but I go for it. I grab it, and a small backpack nearby. I look for Wyatt, and he motions to a grove of trees. I run after him. Azalea catches up with the two of us, and we disappear into the treeline.

 _Wyatt Fritz POV_

I spot a small knife by my platform and grab it. Then I grab a small bag. I look over at Abi, and motion to a grove of trees. She starts to follow me. Azalea catches up to us as we disappear into the trees.

 _Brooke Nash POV_

I look over at Kai, and we nod. We run into the Cornucopia. I grab a trident and a survival kit. I'm surprised that I manage to get one, but I'm not going to complain. I look over at Kai, who has a sword, a sleeping bag, and some food, and we run. We run until we crest a hill and come down on the other side of it, safely away from the carnage of the Bloodbath. For now, at least.

 _Kai Presley POV_

Brooke looks at me, and we exchange nods. In the Cornucopia, I grab a sword that I had noticed earlier, a sleeping bag, and what looks like a packet of food. I check on Brooke, who has a trident and what looks like a survival kit. We both know that now is time to run. And so we do until we reach the cover of a hill.

 _Aurora Dayton POV_

I look at Cyder, and we run. Not far into the Cornucopia, but enough to get ourselves a few good weapons. I grab an ax and a pack of throwing knives. Then I grab a roll of something, and run, with Cyder, towards a dip in the landscape. We reach it without incident.

 _Cyder Lamentian POV_

I look at Aurora and run into the Cornucopia. I manage to find a sword and focus on grabbing a few bottles of water and a pack of food. Then I follow Aurora towards a dip in the landscape.

 _Calyx Anther POV_

I run quickly into the Cornucopia. I grab a short sword and start to pick up a sleeping bag before I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around and am greeted by the boy from two charging me with a sword. I raise my sword to defend myself.

 _Arc Woods POV_

I run into the Cornucopia. I grab a sword and start to go for a large bottle of water when I see the boy eleven bending over to grab something. I take my opportunity and run at him. He turns around before I can get there and raises his sword. I start to slow down, and before I can react, I see his sword coming towards me. I'm rewarded for my slow reaction with a cut across my leg. I step back and he lunges at me again.

 _Calyx Anther POV_

The boy from two is too slow. I cut across his legs, causing a bit of blood to sprout from them. I lunge at his chest. Maybe I stand a chance – and I feel a hot pain through my stomach. I look down to see a sword sprouting through it. I lunged right into his blade. He pulls the sword out of me and I fall backward.

 _Arc Woods POV_

It was his speed that kills the boy from eight. He lunges right into my sword, the blood from his stomach staining his white shirt. I pull my sword out and he falls to the ground.

 _Kaine Thomason POV_

I run into the Cornucopia. I grab a pack of food, another one of water, and stuff them into a small bag. Then I grab a spear and a small knife. Then I run into a grove of trees, safely away from the Cornucopia.

 _Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV_

After I kill the girl from eight and leave her body lying on the ground, I walk back to the Cornucopia. I'm not in a hurry. Most of the fighting seems to be over. Most Tributes have fled or are dead by now. I walk back into the Cornucopia and see what spoils are left for me and the rest of the careers. It's a pretty good pile. I survey the various people looking at the supplies. Then I realize something.

"Where's Satin?" I ask. Topaz points and I follow his finger. I see Satin's body sprawled on the ground, face down. I see a spot of blood on the back of her shirt. "Who did this?" I ask.

"The boy from five," Topaz says. I see anger flash in his eyes. "He stabbed her in the back and ran. Coward."

"We'll kill him," I say.

" _I'll_ kill him," Topaz says.

"Okay," I say. "Where did he go?" Topaz indicates a grove of trees. "Okay then. That's where we go. Everybody grab a survival pack and their favorite weapon. Somebody grab a tent. Grab some sleeping bags if you want, and if you have a bow, make sure you have enough arrows. Okay?"  
"Who put you in charge?" Titanium asks.

"Nobody, but I don't see you doing it," I say. No, no, avoid a fight. Be diplomatic. "Look, how about this. We're all going to kill each other, so no one is in charge. Let's just do what's best for all of us. My plan makes sense, right?" I see grudging nods from everyone else. "Okay then," I say. "We're going hunting.

 **To be continued…**

 _The Fallen:  
_

 _Satin Hermes, 18F, D1. Career. Stabbed in the back by Spire Windell._

 _Rianna Meade, 16F, D3. Killed with an ax by Titanium Sparks._

 _Lindsay Cutt, 13F, D6. Decapitated by Edmund Caden._

 _Twyler Onzui, 16F, D8. Throat slit by Lily Cross._

 _Angus Blush, Dem Blush, Miller Blush, 17M, D9. Stabbed by Edmund Caden._

 _Belinda Mosler, 15F, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Noah Jones, 17M, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Calyx Anther, 17M, D11. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry to all the Tributes who died. Everyone had brilliant characters, but 23 must die. Anyway, tell me what you thought if you want me to change anything. Also, the rest of Day One will be coming soon! May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!**


	27. Day One

\- **Heat Chapter 26**

 **Day One, the rest of it.**

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the Bloodbath, as much as you could anyways. :) Now, on to the rest of Day One.**

 _Brooke Nash –15-- --D4-- POV_

I'm panting as I look at Kai on the other side of the hill. So is he.

"So, who wants to poke their head over and see if we've been followed?" I ask.

"You mentioned it," he says, smiling.

"Fine," I say. I humph at him, jokingly. I smile and lift my head over the ridge. I see the careers conversing in the Cornucopia, then they pick up some weapons and survival equipment and head for a grove of trees far away from us. "No sign of following," I say. "We don't want to go over there, though. That's where the careers are."

"I see," Kai says. "Come on down from there." I do, and look at him.

"What now?" I ask.

"Pick a direction that has cover and go there, I guess," he says.

"Sounds like a plan," I say. "Which direction?"  
"Which direction has the careers?" He asks. I point in the general direction.

"I'm guessing that way, then," I say, jerking my thumb over my shoulder.

"I guess," he says. I grab my trident from the ground, Kai grabs his sword, and we start walking towards the grove of trees.

 _Aurora Dayton –17-- --D7-- POV_

I and Cyder keep running after we cross the dip, until we run into a river. It's fast flowing, and the only way to cross it looks significantly dangerous.

"Let's not go that way," I tell him.

"Agreed," he says. "But which way do we go?"

"I don't know," I say. I point my thumb to the right. "That way?"

"Sure," he says, and we start walking.

 _Athena Fallow –17-- --D11-- POV_

Sofie and me reach the treeline. We run for a few minutes until we're well in the desert forest. I stop, and turn to Sofie.

"So," I ask, "what now?"

"Now," Sofie says, "We find a secure spot, and set up camp. Nobody's around, and if we go any direction around the Cornucopia, we don't know if we'll run into somebody, so we should probably move a little in one direction to make sure that we weren't followed, but that's it."

"That sounds like a good plan, Sofie," I say. "Let's do it." We pick a direction at random and start walking.

 _Kaine Thomason –14-- --D8-- POV_

I stop running once I reach the grove of trees, and consider my next move. I decide to keep walking out, towards the edge of the Arena. After about an hour of walking, I reach a fast-running river. I wonder which direction to go, and decide on right. I start walking.

 _Edmund Caden –15-- --D6-- POV_

Once I reach the grove, I stop. I don't know what to do now, my plan didn't really extend this far, as I didn't know what the arena would be like. I decide to pick a path that keeps me at around the same distance from the Cornucopia, in what I think is a vaguely southerly direction. I start walking.

 _Spire Windell –16-- --D5-- POV_

I reach a grove of trees, and slow my pace once I'm a minutes of running in. I decide that there's really no point in moving, so I set up camp and wait. I unsling my sleeping bag and lay it down on the ground. I decide to try to climb a tree to wait for Tributes to come into my kill zone. I lay a hand on the tree and instantly regret it. "Frack!" I shout, then quickly regret it. If anyone's around, they'll have heard me. Well, I'll just have to be quiet and make sure that if anyone comes, I'll hear them. I look more closely at the tree and realize that it's covered in many tiny spikes. I look at a few of the trees around the area, but they all have the same problem. I guess that I'll just hug up to the lower, un-spiked part of one of the trunks and wait. I have no intention of using my sleeping bag.

 _Abi Hendrix –14-- --D12-- POV_

After we reach the trees, we walk for a few more minutes directly away from the Cornucopia. Eventually, I say, "We should probably walk some way not straight away from the center. Eventually, we're going to reach the edge."

"You're right," Wyatt says. "Where to?"

"Maybe over there?" Azalea asks, and points to the left.

"Sure," I say. "Let's go."

"Let's go," Wyatt says.

 **A few hours later… The sun is starting to set, and most Tributes are beginning to set up camp for the night.**

 _Kai Presley –18-- --D4-- POV_

After Brooke and I walk at a slow place for a few hours, the sun starts to get low.

"We should probably set up camp," I say.

"You're right," she says. She opens the survival kit, and pulls out a sleeping bag. She spreads it on the ground. I unsling mine and spread it next to hers. "We should start a fire," she says. "It'll get cold." I like that she's smart.

"Do you have any flint in that kit?" I ask.

"I do," she says, and pulls it out with a smile on her face. "We just need some wood."

"I can do that," I say. I grab my sword from the ground where I had lain it, and get to work demolishing a few tree branches.

"Let me help you with that," Brooke says.

"You can't," I say. "I don't think a trident is a very good lumber weapon. Anyway, I'm almost done. You can break off some sticks for tinder." She does, and within a few minutes, we have a pile ready for a fire. "Do you know how to use this?" I ask.

"I do," she says, and strikes the flint on the steel. She puts the spark to the wood, and it ignites. "Yes!" She shouts, a smile spreading across her face. She's pretty when she smiles. Am I really-- Yes, I'm really having these thoughts. Any you know, maybe that's okay. Galia was always protecting somebody, maybe she'd want me to go out protecting somebody. Especially somebody like her. Brooke is exactly the kind of person that Galia would want me to protect. Maybe that's good. I always wanted to die, now I'll die protecting someone. It's what Galia would have wanted.

"Kai?" Brooke asks, snapping me out of my reverie.

"What?" I ask. "Sorry, I was… thinking."

"I just asked if you thought that it got dark fairly quickly," she says.

"Oh. Um, yeah, it was pretty quick. Just a few minutes ago, the sun was setting, now it's dark. That's the desert I guess," I say.

"Yeah," Brooke says, absentmindedly. "So, what were you thinking about?" She asks me with a smile on her face, looking right at me. She moves, and tucks herself into her sleeping bag. Her hair spreads out under her head, and it looks cute. No, it looks adorable.

"Um… I was thinking… I was thinking about Galia," I say. "And you."  
"How are we related?" Brooke asks.

"About that..." I say. "You know that Galia volunteered because she wanted to protect her best friend."

"Yeah," Brooke says, and nods.  
"Right. That was always Galia. Sweet, caring, protecting. And you know that I volunteered because I couldn't bear to watch anyone else die, because I can't really live without her. What you probably don't know is that you remind me of Galia a lot. Your hair, your eyes, your smile. Your personality. You're sweet, you're caring, you're strong, you don't give up, and you're really funny. After Galia, I never thought I would fall in love again, never thought that I could. But I think that I'm falling in love with you. Not quite as much as I was in love with her, I could never love anybody that much again. But I do love you, Brooke. And I think Galia would want me to die protecting you. Would want me to finally come to her, having saved somebody's life. Somebody like her, who I failed to protect. So, Brooke, I want you to promise me one thing. I am going to die, not you. I don't want you sacrificing yourself for me. So, if I tell you to run, you run. Okay?" I look into her sea-blue eyes for a second before she responds.

"Okay," she says. "I'll run. But I need you to know something, Kai. I'm in love with you too. At least I think so, maybe. I've never really been in love before, so I don't know, you're the expert. But, I'm pretty sure that I at least really like you."

"You don't need to say that," I say, quickly.

"Yes, yes I do," she says, "because it's the truth, Kai. I love you." We both fall silent for a moment, then I look into her eyes. She stares into mine in return.

"I love you too, Brooke," I say, still looking her in the eyes. She sits up, leans forward, and kisses me. We kiss for a few seconds before she pulls away.

"I love you too, Kai," she says. She lays back down in her sleeping bag. "Want to snuggle?" She asks.

"What?" I ask.

"Snuggle," she says, patting her sleeping bag. "As in, get in, next to me, and sleep. We'll conserve body heat that way. And," she pauses, "it'll be nice. I've never slept in the same bed as anyone who wasn't related to me."

"Oh!" I say, slightly surprised. "Of course," I say. I snuggle into the sleeping bag next to her. She feels good, warm, next to me. She snuggles her head into my chest, and I stroke her hair. She kisses my chest softly, and within a few minutes, I fall asleep, still stroking her hair. The fire still burns, and our sleeping bag and shared body heat keep us warm.

 _Sofie Guinness –16-- --D5-- POV_

After a few hours of walking, I and Athena decide to make camp.

"It's getting cold," I say.

"That's the problem with the desert," Athena says. "It gets hot in the daytime and really cold at night."

"Should we make a fire?" I ask.

"Maybe," Athena says. "On one hand, we might need the heat-"

"And on the other, if anyone sees it, it would give us away," I say.

"Right," Athena says.

"What if one of us stays awake while the other one sleeps?" I ask. "Keeps watch, that way, if anybody comes, we can alert the other one?"

"That's a good idea," Athena says. "But, what if somebody shoots you with an arrow while I'm asleep?"

"Then I'll scream," I say. "But I think that's a risk we'll just have to take. Besides, hopefully nobody will be walking around in the night, it's so cold, they'd risk freezing."

"Okay," Athena says. "I guess so. We need to get some firewood, then."

"I can chop some branches with the sword," I say. "Why don't you grab some tinder from the branches?"

"I could chop down branches too," Athena says.

"Yes, but I've been trained with a sword," I say. "It'll be safer, and faster that way."

"Fine," Athena says.

"I'm not saying you can't do it," I say. "Just that it'll be faster this way."

"Okay," Athena says. She seems placated by this answer, and goes to work gathering tinder from the branches I've cut down. Within a few minutes, we have enough wood arranged in a pile for a fire. "Next question," Athena says, after we have our file pile done, "do we have anything to light it with?"

"That's a good question," I say. "Let's see. What's in that bag you have there?" I ask. She puts the bag down on the ground and opens it, pulling out items.

"Okay," she says, pulling out the first item. "A pack of water, this will be useful." She pulls out a tube of something. "What are these?" She asks.

"Hand them to me," I say. She passes them over, and I examine them. "Ah-hah!" I say, as I find the writing on the side of the package that was covered by her hand. "Water purification tablets."

"Cool," Athena says. "Those will definitely be useful, if we ever find water."

"Yeah," I say. "So, what's the last thing in there?"

Athena pulls out a black mess and unfolds it on the ground. "A net," she says. "Not quite sure how this will be useful, but it could be."

"We could use it to set a trap," I say.

"That's a good idea," Athena says. "How did you come up with that?"

"One of my characters in the book I'm writing has the same idea," I say.

"You'll have to tell me more about this book," she says.

"I will, but first, let's get this fire started," I say.

"Right," she says. "I guess we can use the wood to make a spark."

"I guess," I say. "Let's go." After a few minutes of shaving down the wood so that it would be the right shape to spark, we finally rub it together quickly enough to get a spark, and light the fire. "Yes!" I shout, as the fire bursts into flames.

"Okay," Athena says. "So now, can you tell me about your book?"

"Sure," I say. "I really have two going, but the Capitol probably wouldn't approve of one."

"You know they could be watching right now," she says.

"You're right. Maybe I won't talk about that one. Let them live in mystery," I say. "Anyway, the other one, that's the one I read part of in my interview. You remember it?"

"Yeah," she says. "You called it a fiction adventure romance, right?"

"Yeah," I say. "It's about this princess named Luna, and a peasant named George. Luna meets George fighting an automaton army that's invading her kingdom. They start to fall in love, but then she figures out that he's the leader of the automaton army. He explains that while he created the automatons, he quickly lost control of them, and they started building more of them by themselves. The only reason he was still with the automatons is that he was trying to control them. She accepts his explanation, and they continue to fight the automaton army. Eventually there will be a big fight, against a giant automaton that the smaller automatons will have created to hold their master conciseness. Luna and George will win, they'll get married, and live happily ever after."

"Wow," Athena says. "That sounds really cool. One question though. What's an automaton?"

I laugh. "Right, sorry. It's a fancy word for a robot."

"What's a robot?" Athena asks.

"Oh. Right," I say. "You're from District Eleven, right?" She nods. "Okay. You know what a machine is, right? Like a car or an elevator?" She nods again. "Okay, so a robot is just a machine that can essentially be made, be programmed, to do something without human supervision. So, like, it could mine rocks automatically, by itself, and you wouldn't need a human. The automatons in my story are human robots, they look and move like humans. And in this case, they have human brains too. They think and act like people, on their own. Except they're not human, they were created by humans. They have intelligence, but it was created by humans. An artificial intelligence, I guess you'd call it. A simulation of a human made with gears and wires."

"That's cool," Athena says.

"Thanks," I say. "I think so." I pause. "You should try to get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

"I'm not tired," Athena says.

"Neither am I," I say.

"I guess we'll stay up then," Athena says. She pauses for a few seconds. Then, she says, "I want you to promise me something, Sofie. If you win, if I die, use some of your money to make sure my fiance, Alix, and my sisters, Alia, Ainsley, make sure they're alright. They're not rich. It's always been hard for us, since… well, you heard. Okay? Please."

"Of course, Athena," I say. "You didn't have to ask. Can you promise me something, though?"

"Of course," she says. "What?"

"If I die," I say, reaching into my shirt and pulling out the notebook that sits over my heart from its pocket, "promise me that you'll finish these stories. The ones that are in here. I'm going to write something about us, too. And if I don't get to finish it, I hope that you will. Promise me that, okay?"

"Okay, Sofie," Athena says. "I can't promise that I'll do them justice, but I'll try."

"Thank you," I say. "You really should get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" Athena asks. "I can take first watch if you want."

"No," I say. "I've got this."

"Okay," Athena says. "I guess we should have grabbed a sleeping bag, huh?"

"Yeah," I say. "Hopefully you like the ground."

"I guess I will," she says, laying down on the ground, putting her hands under her head like a pillow. She shifts her body a little bit, to get a rock out from under her ribcage. "Good night, Sofie," she says.

"Good night, Athena," I say. She closes her eyes, and I sit, staring into the fire. After a few minutes, I pull out my notebook, and start writing.

 _Sofie Guinness –16-- --District 5 Female Tribute for the 70th Hunger Games--_

 _I rose into the arena, looking around, and trying to find my ally and new friend, Athena Fallow. As I stand on my platform, I wonder how I got here. I think back to the day of the Reaping..._

 _Five days ago…_

 _I look at myself in the mirror. I adjust one of my two braids, and my green eyes make contact with each other. I look down at my green dress. It looks nice. I walk out into my living room. My older siblings are already there, and as I come out, my youngest sibling, Kyler, comes out, with my mother, Willa._

 _"Hi, Sofie," My sister, Zia says…_

I continue to write for a few hours, about the Reaping, the Justice Building, my thoughts, and Athena. Sort of like a journal, interspersed with a story, I guess. I start to feel tired, and tuck my notebook back in my shirt. I'll wake Athena up in a couple minutes. As I sit by the fire, I wonder what I should call my story. I shiver, as a sudden gust of wind blows the fire away from me. _Heat,_ I think. That would make a good name. Heat, and the lack of it. I tap Athena's shoulder to wake her up, and after a quick conversation, we exchange places. I fall asleep as she stares at the fire.

 _Cyder Lamentian –17-- --D7-- POV_

After a few hours of walking, I and Aurora debate setting up camp.

"Should we keep walking?" I ask. "Or settle down here?" We're at a point next to a slower moving portion of the river, with a small grove of trees around us.

"We can settle down," Aurora says. "We're not really walking anywhere anyway."

"Okay," I say. "We should make a fire, it'll get dark and cold soon."

"You're right," Aurora says. "I'll chop some wood," she says, and hefts her ax. "I'm good at it, you know." I laugh at her joke, and she smiles.

"Really?" I ask. "I never knew." She laughs this time, and I smile. "I'll grab some tinder," I say. We both work quietly, and in a few minutes we have nice fire going. It would have been easier with matches, but with a few throwing knives and dry wood, the fire was started quickly.

"So, Aurora," I say, "tell me more about yourself. Your family, your history. I know you a little bit, but not much about you. And, if you don't mind me asking, you said your mother died?"

Aurora takes a deep breath before answering. "Yes, she did. She died about a year ago. She was pregnant with her baby – my sister – then. She went into labor after only six months. She died, and so did the baby. Were you working in the forest around that time?"

"I don't know," I say, honestly. "Maybe."

"Okay," she says, and continues with her story. "So, I went into a bit of a funk – a depression – after she died. I just stayed at home and did nothing. My dad had to work two jobs to provide for us. So, Sophia, you know her, right?" I nod in the affirmative. "Right. So Sophia tried to fill in for me when I was gone. I trained the other kids a lot, but she couldn't do it as well as I could. She almost got one kid killed." She smiles a little bit. She notices the look on my face and adds, "No, he didn't die, he wasn't hurt that bad. Just, the thought of Sophia training someone," she laughs again. "Anyway, she eventually lead a whole group of kids, everyone who was in the forest that day, I bet, to come and get me, get me out of my funk and back to work. And they did. So that's what happened with my mom. Anyways, apart from Sophia, and now you, I guess, I don't really have many friends. Just my dad and me. My dad's a great guy, you know. He really tries. And Sophia, she's fun, she's loyal, and most importantly, she's honest." She trails off for a few seconds, before coming back to me. "So, Cyder, you said you had a girlfriend, this Juniper girl. Tell me about her."

"I wouldn't say girlfriend," I say. "I mean, I hope that we will be girlfriend and boyfriend if I get back, but up until Reaping day, I just had a crush on her. And apparently she felt the same way about me, we just never talked about it. Until she thought I would die, you know. Then she told me she loved me. And… and… and I told her the same thing. Because, I… I think I do love her, you know?"

"I know," Aurora says.

"What about you?" I ask. "Ever had a boyfriend?"

"No," Aurora says. "You should know that, I said that already."

"Forgive me if I don't remember every detail. And besides, I was hoping for more of a why than, 'I never had time,'," I say, making air quotes around 'I never had time', and saying it in a silly voice.

She laughs, and then responds, "Well, Cyder, you're not going to get more than that. It's true, I just never really felt that interested. Between taking care of myself and making sure my dad's alright, I just didn't feel like I had the time for boys. Besides, I didn't really want one. They kept asking me out though."

"You know why," I say. "Right?"

"Of course," she says, smiling. "I know exactly why."

"You surprise me, Aurora," I say. "You seem like a really nice person."

"Thanks, Cyder," she says. "You too. I think I am getting tired now. Do you mind taking first watch?"

"Not at all," I say. She grabs our one sleeping bag and unrolls it next to the fire.

She lays down, but before she closes her eyes, I say, "Aurora, one more question."

"Sure," she says, looking at me through tired eyes.

"You could have had a lot of other partners. You could have made some boy fall in love with you, and sacrifice himself for you. Instead, you agreed to be partners with me. Me, who has a girlfriend. Who wants to go home. Who would kill you, if it came down to that. Why?"

She sits up in the sleeping bag and smiles. "Cyder, if me turning down boys surprised you, this really will. Look, I'm not that kind of person, okay? I would never pretend to be in love with somebody, just so that I could win. If I fall in love with somebody, I would tell them the truth, but I would never use somebody like that. Okay?"

"I see," I say. "That really does make you a good person."

"I think you are too, Cyder," she says. "Oh, and by the way?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for the reminder that the person I just made a connection with and am trusting with my life while I sleep might slit my throat as I sleep."

"No problem," I say, jokingly. "Good night, Aurora."

"Good night, Cyder," she says. Then she lays back down, and closes her eyes.

 _Edmund Caden –15-- --D6-- POV_

After walking in the same direction for what feels like hours, I finally get tired. I realized a few hours ago that I should have thought to grab a sleeping bag. Or some food. Or water. Oh well. I'll kill someone and steal theirs. But for now, I need to sleep. I put my sword down next to me, and attempt to lean back on a tree. After a few shouted curses and checking that I wasn't bleeding, I lay down on the hard rock instead. The leg wound that Lindsay gave me still hurts, and it's getting worse. I ripped off and arm of the shirt to stop the bleeding, but it still hurts. I need to find someone to take supplies from soon, or I might die of thirst and infection. I end up falling asleep on the hard rocks of the desert floor.

 _Kaine Thomason –14-- --D8-- POV_

After a few hours of walking, I decide to settle down for some sleep. I think about making a fire, but then realize that I have nothing to light it with. Or a sleeping bag, darn it. I take the food and water out of my backpack, and nestle it under my head to use as a pillow. Maybe I'll find somebody who has a sleeping bag at some point. That would be nice. So would some flint and steel.

 _Topaz Hazard –17-- --D1-- POV_

I and the rest of the careers decide to make our first camp in the small forest we're in, before continuing the hunt for that coward Spire tomorrow. We all unroll our sleeping bags, and Lily and Arc work together to set a up a tent for the two of them, while myself and Titanium work on getting wood for a fire. We get a large fire going, and all sit around it as we decide the watch schedule.

"I can take first watch," I say.

"Sure," Lily says. "Me, Arc, and Titanium will get some sleep. Then, Topaz, you can wake Titanium up next, and he'll take second watch. I'll take last watch."

"Why does your boyfriend get to sleep in?" I ask.

"What?" Lily asks.

"Come on, we all know that you two are sleeping together," I say, looking at Titanium.

"This is the first I'm hearing of it," Titanium says.

"Look, it's none of your business if we are or not," Lily says. "Arc will take first watch tomorrow night. We only need three watches a night. And lastly," before I can react, she is right in front of my face, one of hands holding my head up will the other holds a knife to my neck, "Don't question me, or I'll kill you myself. Got that?" I nod assent quickly. "Good," she says, and lets me go. I take in a deep breath.

"Understood, Lily," I say. Then I plot how I'll kill her. I'll kill everyone else first, then I'll torture her. I want to hear her scream. I smile as I stare at her, imagining her screams.

I'm shaken out of my pleasant thoughts by Titanium's voice. "So, what did you guys think of my kill of that pathetic girl? Pretty cool, huh?" Lily glares daggers at him, and I look away. I'm not getting involved in that.

"You think that was cool?" Lily asks. "Killing a poor defenseless girl like that?"

"Yeah," Titanium says. "Don't you?"

"I want to run you through right now," Lily says. "But we already lost Satin, so I won't. Not know anyway. I hope you die slowly and painfully. Don't talk to me, I'm going to sleep." She gets up and goes inside the tent.

"I'll go with her," Arc says, and follows her inside the tent.

"You should get some sleep too," I say to Titanium.

"Okay," he says, and gets in one of the sleeping bags around our fire.

 _Arc Woods –18-- --D2-- POV_

I follow Lily into the tent, where she lays down on top of a sleeping bag. I lay down on the one next to her.

"Are you alright, Lily?" I ask, whispering so that no one else hears us.

"I'm… I'm fine," she says.

"No, really, Lily, what's going on? It's alright, you can tell me," I say. I reach over and slip of one of the shoulders of her shirt. I gently kiss the scar on her shoulder.

"It's… it's… it's that," she says, pointing to the scar on her shoulder. "My dad, he, he gave me all of these," she gestures to her body, even her arms are covered with scars. "Many more that you can't see too. And he… he would attack me in my sleep," she pulls up her shirt to expose her belly button. There's a large scar that goes right through it. "This one was when he stabbed me when I was sleeping. He excepted me to fight him off, with a fatal wound. The only reason I lived is because he had medical kits in the house. In the Games, I'd be dead. I remember that he kept attacking me until I fought back, as I lay, literally dying. So, when I see Titanium chopping a defenseless girl in half, I, I… It's just wrong. She didn't ask for this. She didn't sign up for this, she didn't volunteer. It's not like he was her ally, who she fully excepted to slit her throat in the night. She didn't even get into the games, where it was always understood you would be killed, especially if you let your guard down. If she were there later, if she were asleep, instead of passed out, she would have heard him before he got there. Then it would have been okay. If she was asleep and he slit her throat, at least it was her choice to sleep, knowing the dangers. But… but what he did… did you hear her scream?" I nod, and kiss her gently. "It's just… it's so wrong, what he did," she says.

"I know, Lily, and I'm sorry," I say. "Sorry for you. We'll kill him together, okay?"

"Okay," she says.

"We should get some sleep. Good night, Lily," I say, and kiss her. She kisses me again, and then lays her head down, eyes closed. _I am sorry for you,_ I think. _Sorry for all you went through. And sorry that after we skin Titanium alive, I'll have to kill you._

 _Lily Cross –17-- --D2-- POV_

I snuggle up next to Arc. I feel like sharing with him why I feel that Titanium is so vile has caused him to trust me. It's amazing how easy people can be fooled. Show him a few scars, a little vulnerability, and he thinks that I trust him. I think that now he feels bad for his plan to kill me. Good for him. I don't feel bad. I would be happy to slit his throat right now. Although… I can't deny that it's been nice, having someone to be with, someone who cares, who's not my father. Maybe I'll try to find somebody like that when I get back. I need to remember not to get to attached to Arc. Or anyone here. I drift off to a sleep full of nightmares of my father, combined with new nightmares. Nightmares of killing Arc, nightmares of him torturing me like my father did.

 _Azalea Saffron –12-- --D9-- POV_

After a few hours of walking, me, Abi, and Wyatt decide to make camp.

"We should make a fire," Abi says. "It'll get cold soon."

"Yeah," Wyatt says. "But what will we get firewood with? We only have knives."

"What's in that bag?" Abi asks. Wyatt pulls the bag in front of him, and pulls out a dagger.

"What about your bag, Abi?" I ask. She pulls it in front of herself, and pulls out a medium water pack.

"That's it," she says.

"We might be able to use these knives to cut off some branches," I say.

"If we were stronger, maybe," Wyatt says. "We would be sawing for hours to cut off these branches," he says.

"Then let's use the smaller branches," Abi says, pointing to another tree nearby, with thinner branches.

"That's a great idea," Wyatt says, a smile spreading across his face. He pulls Abi close and kisses her on the head. "I love you, Abi."

"I love you too, Wyatt," she says, kissing him back. "Now, let's get to work."

The three of us, myself and Wyatt working with knives and Abi with the dagger, quickly get a pile of firewood, and with some neat trick that Abi knows, we get a fire started quickly. Abi rolls out our one sleeping bag.

"Azalea, why don't you get some sleep," she says. "Wyatt, you should too. I'll take watch. But I do want to talk to you first, Wyatt," she whispers the last part, thinking I can't hear her. I go into the sleeping bag, and pretend to sleep, as Abi and Wyatt walk a short distance away to talk.

 _Wyatt Fritz –14-- --D12-- POV_

"What did you want to talk about, Abi?" Wyatt asks.

"I… I… we need to talk about her," Abi says, pointing to Azalea. "What do we do if we're the last three left? I don't want to kill her, but… but… I'd be okay with dying, with her or you killing me, but I couldn't let her kill you. I want you to win, you know. We could make her promise to use her money to help our families, but… but I can't let you die."

"We might not have to kill her," I say, "Somebody else might kill her first."

"But what if they don't?" She says. "Then what are we doing? Keeping her alive just to kill her?"

"I don't know," I say. "We could make sure that we don't have to kill her."

"Use her as a meatshield?" Abi says, evidently shocked. "I don't want to-"

"No, no, Abi," I say, waving me hands to calm her down, "that's not what I'm saying. Or I guess it is. Look, I don't want to use her as a meatshield either, but…" I hold out my hands in a resigned gesture. "For now, how about we just see what happens, and understand that we might have to kill her. What about this? If it gets down to three other Tributes, and she's still alive, we'll slit her throat in the night. Make it quick and painless."

"Okay," Abi says. "I still don't like it, but I guess that we got ourselves into this. What were we thinking?"

"We were thinking of being good people, and that there was a scared little girl asking for help," I say. "I agree though, we shouldn't have done it. At least we can make it painless. I'm sorry, Abi, I should have thought of this."

"It's fine, I shouldn't have agreed. Now, you should get some sleep," she says. "I love you." She gives me a quick kiss. "Now go. Sleep. Rest."

"I love you too, Abi," I say, and walk over, laying on the ground next to Azalea.

 _Azalea Saffron –12-- --D9-- POV_

I didn't hear everything they said, but I heard enough. "Meatshield… I don't want to use her… but we might have to kill… painless..." They're going to kill me in my sleep, or use me as a spear-cushion. They probably won't kill me tonight, they'll probably wait until not many people are left. I'll just have to kill them before their limit is reached. And here I thought their paternal instincts might kick in. Apparently, I didn't count on love. They both want the other one to live, even if that means killing a little girl. Ugh. I never know, maybe one of them will die, and the other one will decide that living without them is too much to bear, and let me kill them. There's always hope. Or maybe I'll just kill them first. I drift off to sleep with my troubled thoughts.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: So, no more deaths! Yay! Lots of character development though. Day 2 is coming soon, and there will be death. So, tell me, who do you think will win? How do you foresee alliances breaking down? What did you think of this chapter in general?**

 _The Fallen:_

 _Satin Hermes, 18F, D1. Career. Stabbed in the back by Spire Windell._

 _Rianna Meade, 16F, D3. Killed with an ax by Titanium Sparks._

 _Lindsay Cutt, 13F, D6. Decapitated by Edmund Caden._

 _Twyler Onzui, 16F, D8. Throat slit by Lily Cross._

 _Angus Blush, Dem Blush, Miller Blush, 17M, D9. Stabbed by Edmund Caden._

 _Belinda Mosler, 15F, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Noah Jones, 17M, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Calyx Anther, 17M, D11. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._


	28. DayTwo

**Heat Chapter 27**

 **Day Two, in which more people die.**

 **Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of violence and death, because you know, Hunger Games. Proceed at your own risk.**

 **A/N: Well, we've got through one day, further than I ever thought we would sometimes! I'm sure further than some of our Tributes thought they would go! And now, we continue the story… Who will win? Who will lose? It just now occurs to me that I forgot about the faces in the sky last chapter, so please pretend that happened, and I will do that in this one. Also, this will be a fairly short Games, as no one can die from the environment, so any survival story is not particularly interesting. Just a forewarning…**

 **The sun is rising on day Two of the Arena. Some Tributes are stirring, some have already awoken…**

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

I wake up to a loud noise. Instinctively, I reach for my trident, but it's been kicked away from the side of the sleeping bag. As my awareness comes back, I realize that Kai isn't next to me. He's behind me, and… who is that in front of me? I roll back towards Kai and grab the pack of throwing knives that lays at his feet, as he steps over me. I crouch and walk to his side. He runs forward and-

 **2 minutes ago…**

 _Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV_

I hear a rustling noise from the trees around us. I woke up a few minutes ago, and have been enjoying the feeling of a still-sleeping Brooke next to me. I carefully extract myself from the sleeping bag and grab my sword, kneeling over Brooke. I don't know if the noise is anything, so I don't want to wake her up. Suddenly, another Tribute, the boy from six, I think, breaks through the treeline surrounding our little clearing. He has a large sword, and looks like he wants to kill me. I stand up.

"Brooke!" I shout. I see her stir, and she reaches for her trident… which I moved away when I got up. I step in front of her to protect her as she rolls behind me. I run forward at the boy, and our swords lock.

 _Edmund Caden –15- -D4- POV_

I couldn't sleep that well in the cold, with the pain from the leg wound Lindsay gave me. So I got up early and started walking. I was walking when I ran into these two. I think they're the pair from four, but it doesn't matter. They'll be dead soon. The boy runs at me, and our swords lock. Then I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder, which almost makes me drop my sword. Almost.

 _Brooke Nash POV_

I grab a knife from the pack and throw it at the boy from six, hitting his shoulder. He recoils from the pain.

"Kai!" I shout. "Move out of the way!" Kai obliges, and I send another knife at the boy. This one hits his other shoulder, and he charges at me. I fumble with the next knife. I grab it and send it towards him, but I miss. I try to get the last one, but my fingers aren't working. I'm scared. I fall backward, and the boy is here. He raises his sword to bring it down on me and – I'm pushed to the side by a large force.

 _Kai Presley POV_

"Kai!" Brooke shouts. "Move out of the way!" I oblige, and move out of the way for her to throw her knives. She hits him once but misses the third shot. He's almost reached her. I consider my options quickly. I could kill him from where I am, but his sword will still fall down, and kill Brooke. I hate gravity right now. The only way to save her is what I'm about to do. I close my eyes for a second that feels like forever. _I'm doing what you would have wanted, Galia,_ I think. _I'm coming to see you soon. I love you._ Then, I dive to the ground, keeping my sword up and to the side. I push Brooke out of the way and bring my blade to the left. I see my sword make contact with his skin as I feel a sharp pain in my chest. _Stabbed through the chest, just like Galia,_ I think. I open my eyes long enough to see his eyes go blank.

 _Edmund Caden POV_

The girl shouts something at the boy, and he moves, giving me a clear shot at the small girl, crouching on the ground. I charge at her, barely feeling the pain from another knife to my shoulder. I stumble slightly on the leg that Lindsay cut, slowing my charge by a second. I raise my sword, ready to send it through the girl's chest when suddenly she's not below me. Just as soon as I realize that she's not there anymore, I feel a sharp pain through my side, and I choke on blood. I fall onto the boy from four, whose sword is now in my side. At least he's dead too.

 _Brooke Nash POV_

I scramble to my feet after being knocked out of the way of the boy's blow and turn around to face – oh my goodness. No, no, no! No. This can't be right. I push the boy from six off Kai. He's clearly dead, and I hear a cannon fire. I pull the sword out of Kai's gut and hold his head in my hands. I realize that I'm crying. His face is blurry, and I hear my own sobs.

"Kai… no… Kai… why?" I ask. He chokes on blood but raises his hand to my cheek.

He coughs up blood again, before answering. "It – it's what – what Galia would have – would have want – wanted. Now, you – you're alive, and – I – I get to be with her… again. For – forever."

"I – I love you, Kai," I say, my own voice broken by sobs.

"I love you too, Brooke," he says, his voice clear for a few seconds. Then his eyes close, and his body goes limp.

"No!" I shout. I move my hands, trying to pick him up, trying to – trying to what? I can't do anything for him – as if to confirm my thought, I hear another cannon go off. Maybe I can give him a better burial than the Capitol well – but I have nothing to dig with. Then I look up, and through my blurry vision, I see the remnants of the fire. The fire, that's it. I quickly grab some of the spare firewood and throw it on the fire. It burns with renewed vigor. I try to pick Kai up, but I can't, especially now that the adrenaline has faded. No! I… I need to do this. I grab Kai and roll him onto the fire. He lands, and his body starts to burn. A poor man's cremation. He deserved better. I lay on the ground, sobbing.

 _A_ _thena Fallow_ _–1_ _7_ _\- -D5- POV_

I wake Sofie up, gently.

"Sofie? Sofie? It's time to wake up," I say, gently shaking her shoulder.

"I don't want to get up, – oh. I'm not at home, am I?" She asks.

"What gave it away?" I ask, jokingly, as she sits up and rubs her eyes. She pulls her hands away from her face, and her pale green eyes look at me. They look tired but quickly fill with life and energy. I don't want to see her die, she's such a good person.

"The rock under my side," she says. "There aren't normally any rocks in my bed. Unless one of my siblings puts one there, but they've stopped doing that." She smiles and pauses for a second. "Oh. Athena, I think I forgot something last night. I asked you to finish my story, but I also want something else."

"To take care of your family?" I ask.

"Yeah," she says. "There's a lot of them, and we don't have a lot of money."

"Of course," I say. "You know I will, Sofie."

"Thanks, Athena," she says.

"No problem. We should pack up camp. Did you get to work more on your story last night?" I ask.

"We should," she says, and starts putting the food and water back in the bag, then she stops, and grabs a water pack, taking a sip from it. "Want a sip?" She asks.

"Sure," I say, taking it from her, and taking a drink, before handing it back. "Thanks. Want a ration bar?" I ask as I bite into one myself.

"Sure," she says, and I pass her one. "Anyway," she says, taking a bite of her bar, "thanks for asking about my story, nobody ever really did that before. And, yes I did. I actually wrote a bit about us. All good things about you," she says, with a smile.

"Well, that's good to hear," I say. "I'm glad you got some work done on it, it sounds great. I would say I hope I'll get to read it one day, but you know… I guess I hope that you get to finish it," I say.

"Thanks, Athena," Sofie says. "Let's get going. Where exactly are we going, anyway?"

"The same direction as yesterday, I guess," I say. Sofie slings the backpack over her shoulder, and we start walking.

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

Myself, Wyatt, and Azalea pack up camp quickly, sharing some water.

"We need food," I say.

"We do," Wyatt says. "Have you seen any animals around?"

"I saw some rabbits," Azalea says.

"Where?" I ask.

"Over there," Azalea says.

"Show us," Wyatt says. Azalea shows us to a den full of small rabbits.

"Who wants to kill them?" I ask.

"I heard you, Abi," Wyatt says. I give him a death glare. "No."

"You have the dagger," he says.

"Fine," I say, giving him another death glare. I lay, stomach down, on the ground. The rabbits, or technically they're hares in the desert, are in a den, only a few feet in front of me. I crawl forward, and the hares descend further into their burrow. I crawl further forward and try to stick my arm in the hole. It doesn't go past my wrist, and the hares sniff their noses at the edge of the blade. "I don't fit," I say. I stand up and brush the dirt off my white clothes. Seriously. White in the desert, who thought of this?

"I certainly won't fit," Wyatt says.

"So what do we do?" Azalea asks. I and Wyatt both look at her. "No," she says. "No. No. No. No, no, no. I am not killing bunnies." Her stomach growls. Or maybe it's Wyatt's. I don't know, and it doesn't matter.

"It sounds like your stomach disagrees," I say.

"Fine," she says. "Give me the dagger. And you better not stab me in the back and eat me while I'm down there. Also, Wyatt was checking out your butt, Abi." I stare daggers at Wyatt, as Azalea lays down on the ground.

"What?" He asks innocently. I stare more daggers at him. If looks could kill, he would be dead and burned to a crisp by now. "So what if I was? I love you, Abi."

"Hmph," I say, and turn away from him, arms crossed.

"Fine," he says.

"Hey, anybody care about me down here? Your local bunny murderer?" Azalea asks.

"Of course, Azalea. You alright?" I ask.

"Just fine murdering bunnies. You?"

"Dandy," I say. "You need some help?"

"I think this is a one-person thing," she says. Then I hear the flash of metal, a sequel, and a scream. Before I can say anything, Azalea comes out of the den with a dead rabbit, a cut on her finger, and the dagger.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

"I'm fine," she says, shifting the hare to her other hand, and sucking her finger. "Breakfast," she says, holding up the hare.

"Which one," Wyatt asks, "the hare, or the dagger?"

I stare at Wyatt. "If you look at me that way again, it'll be the dagger, boy." Then I burst out laughing, and so does he.

Azalea stares at us blankly, and then finally asks, "You two were teasing each other the whole time?"

"Of course," I say, still chuckling. "We love each other, of course, we tease each other."

"Let's cook this rabbit up," Wyatt says, taking the hare from Azalea.

"It's a hare, you know," I say.

As we walk toward the fire, I swear I hear Azalea mutter, "I'm allied with idiots and OCD people. Idiots and obsessives. I'm dead."

"What did you say, Azalea?" I ask.

"Hm?" She looks up at me with puppy dog eyes. "Nothing."

"Oh, okay," I say.

I help Wyatt skin the hare (or more accurately, I do all the work because he's too disgusted to do it himself), and we cook it up. All three of us take a different part, sit, and eat, with myself and Wyatt regaling Azalea with tales of life in District Twelve. Whether or not she enjoys them, and especially if she rolls her eyes. Eventually, we finish breakfast, drink some water, and head out.

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

I wake up, grab a quick bite to eat and some water, and keep walking in the same direction I did yesterday. At one point, I thought that I heard voices, but I walked towards them, and they disappeared. I hope I'm not going crazy.

 _Lily C_ _ross_ _–17- -D2- POV_

I wake up next to Arc, and after breakfast, all four of us fan out. It doesn't take long before we find our target.

"I think he's still asleep," I whisper to Arc.

"I think so," he says.

"Let's go," I say. We turn around and walk backward, still crouching, out of our spying position, back to where the other two wait.

"Okay," I say. "Here's the plan."

 _Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV_

I wake up to a stabbing pain. I quickly open my eyes and try to move the hand with the pain in it. It doesn't move very much, and I'm greeted with more pain. I feel more pain in my other hand and one foot. From the side of the first hand, I see the girl from two standing over me.

"Hi, Spire," she says, in a fake sweet voice. "What's up?" I move my head, and I realize that all of the other careers are there. Two more of them, the boy from three and the boy from two, have pushed knives, just like the girl from two has, into my hands and feet. The boy from one is standing over me. He grabs a knife and puts it through my foot. Then he grabs another one, but he doesn't use it yet.

"The girl you killed, do you know her name?" He asks.

"No," I say. It's a little hard to think straight, with all the pain, you know.

"Her name was Satin. Satin Hermes. And you stabbed her in the back," he says. "Say it! Say that you killed her like a coward!"

"You're right. I did kill her, I did kill Satin," I say. Nothing is going to get me out of this now, "and I liked it. She deserved it, the little- ahhhhhhhh!" He stabs me in the chest before I can finish my sentence. I spit blood in his face. Then he tortures me. And I wish that I didn't feel everything that came after, but I do.

 _Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV_

 _Boom!_ Spire's cannon fires and I pull my knife out of him. Or what's left of him. It doesn't really look like Spire anymore. I kept him alive as long as I could so that he could feel the pain.

"Let's go," I spit at my allies, and we grab our weapons and head back to camp. We never quite make it back.

 _Azalea Saffron POV_

Myself, Abi, and Wyatt were walking along through the forest when we heard rustling in the bushes.

"Stop," Wyatt says. All three of us stop.

"What is that?" Abi asks. Her question is answered by an arrow that barely misses my shoulder. I scream. Suddenly, three enemy Tributes come toward us, with swords raised.

Wyatt raises his knife against the first boy, and Abi raises the dagger to fend off an attack by the girl. I raise my knife to fight one of the boys.

 _Lily Cross POV_

I just wanted to get back to camp. But we had to run into the pair from twelve and the girl from nine, walking along merrily with no attempt at stealth. So, of course, we had to attack. I had hoped this would be an easy fight, but it doesn't look like it. Topaz acted as our archer, and instead of killing the little girl, he missed. But I have the older girl. She should be easy. She blocks my first strike, and I come up for my second strike. She blocks it. I knee her in the crotch, and she drops to the ground, her arms sprawling to her sides. I get ready to deliver the killing blow but am distracted by a scream from the girl from nine. I look over to see her falling backward, Arc's sword coming out of her chest. A cannon goes off. The boy looks over at her, then at me and at his partner sprawled on the ground.

"Abi! Run!" He shouts. I look down just in time to realize that well I've been distracted, she's got to her knees, and is sprinting off. I start to run after her, but a scream from behind me stops me, as I turn around, and rush to help Titanium, who is bleeding from a cut in his chest.

 _Azalea Saffron POV_

I manage to dodge the boy's first strike, diving under his blade. Too slow. I slash his legs with my knife, but it doesn't seem to phase him. I quickly dive through his legs and slash the backs of them. That does phase him. He lets out a small scream, and I allow myself an internal smile. He turns around, but I dodge his next strike. I make a small cut on his side and step back, ready to go in for another strike. And I see his arms coming down. I try to move back, but I'm not fast enough. His sword comes down to my height and plunges straight through my chest. I fall backward as he pulls the sword out.

 _Wyatt Fritz POV_

I manage to block my opponent's first strike, and I get in a stab, which misses, and almost sends me flying, but it doesn't, luckily. I recover my balance. Unfortunately, it gives my opponent enough time for another strike, and he lands a glancing blow on my shoulder. I hear a scream from Azalea's direction, and see that she's dead, although her opponent won't be recovering anytime soon. He appears to bleeding from both sides of his legs, and I'm rather curious if he'll be able to walk from the way he's clutching his legs. Another glancing hit from my opponent, on my stomach. Actually, I don't think that was so glancing. Luckily, his attack has thrown him off balance, so I slice my knife across his chest, causing him to cry out in pain. He drops his sword and falls to the ground, and for a second, I think that I might stand a chance at winning. I forgot about the girl from two. Her sword slices a clean line through my neck from behind me. A cannon fires, probably mine.

 _Lily Cross POV  
_

I see that Arc has leg wounds, and Titanium is bleeding from a large wound across the chest. What Topaz is doing, I don't know. Either way, I know that I need to kill this boy, and now. So, I quickly close the short distance that had opened up between us when I pursued his partner, and slice my sword through his neck in one swift motion. More blood on my shirt. Just what I need. His head falls to the side, close to where his partner should have lain dead, and his body falls forward, onto Titanium. I shove the dead boy's body off and call for Topaz.

"Topaz! Get out here right now!" I shout.

"I'm here," he says. "I was trying to get a good shot. That's what you wanted, right?" I take a second to think. That had been what I asked him to do.

"Right," I say. "Okay. Grab some bandages from the survival kit, Titanium really needs them if he's going to live, and Arc might need some. You doing alright, Arc?" I ask.

"I'll live," he says. "Some bandages might be nice, to stop the bleeding. That girl did a number on my legs."

"Gotcha," I say. Topaz returns with one of the survival kits, and over the next few minutes, we get the two boys bandaged up. "Let's head back to camp," I say. "Titanium, me and Topaz will carry you, you're in no shape to walk. Arc, you'll have to manage."

"Yes, ma'am," Arc says, sarcastically.

We manage to get everyone back to camp.

"I don't know about the rest of you," I say, "but I'm tired of fighting for today." I get nods of agreement from everyone else.

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

I run. And run. And run. I run until I can't run anymore, and then I sit against a tree and cry. I heard a cannon go off. One for Azalea. And I heard another one go off. For Wyatt. If he had won, it would have been four cannons. It was only one. I can feel it, he's dead. I cry, and I cry, and I cry, and I cry until I can't cry anymore. Then I get up and walk. I don't have a direction in mind, I just walk. I don't know how long I walk for, probably hours, maybe only minutes. Eventually, I stop. I stop because I see a red-haired girl with blue eyes holding a trident, who has clearly been crying.

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

I don't know how long I cry for, but the sun has shifted by the time I finally stop. He's dead. Kai, the sweet, selfless boy. The boy who loved Galia. The boy who loved me. The boy I loved. And he's dead because of me. Because I didn't help him more, because I asked him to step aside because I thought that I could do better than he could. Because I… because I was too weak and he had to save me. And it cost him his life. Eventually, I pick up our equipment, my trident, and leave his sword. And I start walking. I don't know where I'm going, or why I don't just pick up his sword and end my life. After all, without him… Then I remember what he said. _It's what Galia would have wanted. And now you're alive._ He sacrificed himself so that I could live. I need to live, for him. It's what he would have wanted. I straighten up at that thought. I'll survive, I'll win, for him. My thoughts are interrupted when I run into somebody else in the middle of the forest. It's a shorter blonde girl, maybe a little younger than me. She's carrying a dagger and has obviously been crying. I'm pretty sure that she's the girl from twelve. Abi, I think.

"Hi," I say. "Abi, right?"

"Yeah," she says.

"Brooke," I say, pointing to myself. Then I remember that she's supposed to have allies. "Where's your district partner and that girl from nine?"

"Dead," she says. "Careers."

"Oh," I say. "I'm sorry."  
"Why?" She asks. "You're going to kill me anyway."

"No, I'm not," I say.

"Why?"

"Because I've seen enough death for today," I say.

"Right. Your District partner?" She asks.

"Dead. The boy from six," I say. "I… I was in love with him."

"I can tell," she says, pointing to me.

"Wh- oh." I look down at myself. Kai's blood is all over my clothes, turning the white cloth red.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I lost the boy I loved today too."

"Your District Partner, right?" I ask. She nods.

"What's your name?" She asks.

"Brooke," I say.

"Look, Brooke. I don't want to kill you either. But-"

"You will if you have to," I say, finishing her thought.

"Yeah," she says.

"I don't want to kill you either," I say. "And I think I'd win."

"Oh really?" She asks.

"You," I point to her, "have a dagger. I," I indicate myself, "have this trident. You're standing still. If I wanted too, this trident could be in you before you could react."

"I could throw the dagger too, you know," she says.

"Yeah, and unless you're a great shot, it wouldn't kill me. I don't have to be very precise with this trident."

"Fair point."

"Let's not kill each other," I say.

"Then what do we do?" She asks.

"Allies?" I ask. "For now? We've both lost people we love, and let's be honest, one of us will die before the other one. It's unlikely we'll have to kill each other."

"Sure," she says. I step forward, and then she does. Then we both walk towards each other, and transfer our weapons to our other hands. We shake hands.

"We should get going," I say.

"Where?" She asks.

"Good question," I say. "We could set up camp here."

"Do you have equipment?" She asks. "We didn't have much, and Wyatt was carrying a lot of it."  
"I do," I say, smiling. I grab the survival kit from my back. "Two sleeping bags, to start, some water, and some food. Some flint and steel, and some bandages."

"Wow," she says. "That's quite the haul."

"Thanks," I say. "Let's get a fire started and get situated then."

"Let's," she says. Her face is still stained with tears. I wonder… I wonder if she wants to live anymore. She seems like she's in shock, her surface conciseness running her interactions, her real self retreated into a tiny corner of her brain. Maybe not. But then again, maybe so.

 _Sofie Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

After I and Athena walk for hours, we set up camp again for the night. This time, Athena takes first watch, and I take second. Will she sleeps, I continue writing. I'm now caught up on the Games, at least from my perspective, so I write a little bit more of _Luna and George._

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV_

I and Cyder pack up camp in the morning, drinking some water, eating some of our food, and start walking again. We don't talk much. I'm not that social anyways, and there's not much to talk about. We walk in silence until it's time to set up camp again for the night.

"Aurora?" He asks, as I'm chopping firewood.

"Yeah?" I reply.

"Do we think we can win?" He asks.

"I don't know," I say.

"Against all those careers?" He asks. I see what's going on. He's scared

"Look, Cyder," I say, putting down the ax and wiping sawdust off of my hands. "The careers might win, they have good odds. Unless they all kill each other. Or the pair from four, who for some reason aren't with the careers. Or that kid from five, he looks pretty strong, and I think he was the one who killed the girl from one. Look, anyone might win. Including us. Let's not worry about other people until we meet them, and focus on surviving. We might barely meet anyone, they might all kill each other first, and then it's two against one. And that one might be the twelve-year-old from nine or the boy from four. We don't know, okay, so let's not worry. But, I think that whatever happens, we'll find out soon."

Cyder had been nodding throughout my explanation, but now he has a question. "Why do you say that?"

"Because," I say, "there have already been five deaths today. There where eight yesterday, so that's thirteen in two days. At this rate, we'll know who wins by day four."

"What if someone just hides?" He asks.  
"Then the Gamemakers will flush them out," I say. "And besides, the Arena is smaller this year. I don't know why, but haven't you noticed?"

"No," he says. "I guess you're right though, we ran into the edge of the Arena fairly quickly."

"Right," I say. "I think they want more fighting, quicker action, for some reason."

"I think you're right," he says. "No let's get this fire started, I'm freezing."

I grab a chunk of firewood and throw it to him to start the fire pile. "Plus," I say, grabbing another hunk of wood, "the Gamemakers have been very generous with supplies. We got a decent haul, and we didn't go anywhere near the center."

"You're right," he says. "I guess we won't have to live in suspense very long."

"Nope," I say, as he starts to light the fire. Once he gets the fire lit, we finish the last of our pack of food, and drink some more water. Then the list of the dead comes up. I see the boy from four, Kai Presley. Not the girl from Four though. Odd. I wonder if she killed him. Then the boy from six. Then the boy from five. Then the girl from nine, and the boy from twelve. Not the girl from twelve. She doesn't seem like the type to kill her two allies well they slept, but I don't know how she could have got away if they were attacked. Maybe if it was the boy from five or the one from six, and they killed him, but the boy from twelve and the girl from nine died in the process. I don't know, it doesn't matter. Cyder sleeps first tonight, and after what I hope is half the night, I wake him up and fall asleep myself.

 _Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV_

I've been walking all day! And I haven't seen a single person, darn it! I drink the last of my water, and eat more of my food. I probably have one more of my minimum nutrition meals left. I hope that I find someone tomorrow, or I'll have to go back to the Cornucopia. I try to sleep in the cold desert again. I'm honestly surprised that they haven't killed me off yet. I doubt I'm very interesting, walking all day in search of prey. Maybe everyone else is hiding. I notice that five more people died today. They're all going fast this year. These Games will probably be over in under a week. I just hope that I'll live to finish them.

 _Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV_

"You have flint?" I ask, surprised, as Brooke pulls the flint out of her bag.

"I told you that already," she says, with a small wink. She looks sad. I think we both are.

"Right," I say, as she lights the fire. "So, Brooke. Your District partner. You said you were in love with him. Do… do you want to tell me more? It might help."

"Thanks," Brooke says. "Sure, I guess. Kai was his name. And I didn't know him before the Games. But, he talked to me on the train. Do you remember his interview?" I nod. "Right. Galia?" I nod again. "Yeah, well, he was in love with her, right? So he volunteered so that he would die, he wouldn't have to watch anyone else die, he didn't want to live without her. He told me that on the train. Then, before training, he took me up to the roof. He asked me to be allies, I agreed, and then he fell off the roof." Brooke must see the surprised look on my face because she laughs. It's good to see her laughing, maybe this is working. I don't need a depressed ally. I have enough depression for two. "Luckily," she continues her story, "there was a force field, so he didn't fall far. After he almost died, he almost called me Galia before he went to sleep. Then, when I was lying on my nice comfy Capitol bed, I realized that I had a crush on him. I tried to deny it, but that didn't work. I would keep realizing that I thought he was handsome or holding his hand. Anyway, last night – that seems like so long ago now –, last night he told me that he loved me. Not as much as Galia, but he loved me. I told him I loved him too. We snuggled together the whole night. And when I woke up… when I woke up… he… he was already up. He had noticed something, I guess, and didn't want to wake me up until he knew what it was," she starts to tear up. "It was the boy from six. So, he woke me up. I went to grab my trident," she motions to it, "except that for some reason it wasn't there. So, I rolled behind him, and grabbed a pack of throwing knives. He went in with a sword to hold off the boy. He was doing okay, and I threw a knife at the boy's arm. I hit, and he sort of stumbled," she's fighting off tears, I can tell. "I told Kai to move out of the way. I thought I could kill they boy with my knives. But… but I couldn't. I was too slow. And he was going to kill me. And if Kai lived, I guess I would have been okay with that. But… but..." she's crying now. I put my arm around her, and rub her back.

"It's alright, Brooke, it's alright," I say.

"I'm okay," she says, wiping her eyes and pulling away. "Anyway, he… he… he pushed me out of the way. And he killed the boy. But… but… he put himself in the way of the boy's sword in the process. I… I… cremated him," she finishes her story. "He said… he said that he wanted to protect me… that that's how Galia would have wanted him to die, protecting somebody. And that," she sniffles, "and that he would be with her now."

"You know, Brooke, he's right," I say. "From what I know, it sounds like that's exactly what this Galia girl would have wanted. And even if it's not, it's what he wanted. What do you think he would if done if you had died? He would have decided that he failed both of the women he loved, and he still would have died. He never wanted to win. He was never going to win. He died how he would have wanted to. Protecting you, giving you another chance at life. Okay, Brooke?"

"You're right," she says. "And I know that. It's just still sad, you know? And hard. Really hard. But, I'm not going to waste this chance he gave me. I'm going to do my best to win," she says. "But, Abi, I shouldn't be soaking up all the sympathy. You and the boy from twelve, you were clearly a couple. How do you feel? What happened?"

"Clearly?" I ask.

"Yeah," she says. "Your body language, the way you two acted at the Reaping, the fact that you were allying, that you took in a little kid, oh, and you know, your interviews, where you said you were in love."

"Right," I say. "We never saw it coming. We were just walking, then Wyatt, that's his name, told us to stop. Then, three careers attacked us. The other one was using a bow, although he didn't get in more than one shot. I only survived because Azalea's dying scream distracted the girl who was attacking me, and Wyatt told me to run. She chased me, but then there was a scream, and she turned around. Probably to stab Wyatt in the back. I know he died, I heard a cannon go off when I was still running. It must have been his." Now I'm the one who's crying, and it's Brooke's turn to pat my back.

"Look, Abi," she says. "It sounds like he wanted you to live. I think that what you told me is exactly the same. Except that in this case, you didn't do anything wrong. You could never have won against the careers. No offense," she says, looking me over.  
"None taken," I say. "It's just the truth."

"Right," she says. "So, at least you survived. It's what he wanted."

"I know," I say. "But… it's still painful. I loved him, and now… and now… now he's dead."

"I know," she says, rubbing my back. "But he probably would have sacrificed himself for you anyway, just later."

"I know," I say, laying my head on her shoulder. "What a great alliance we make."

"Yeah," she says. "The HeartBroken Ladies, maybe?"

"Yeah!" I say, pumping my fist in the air jokingly. "HeartBroken ladies for the win!" She smiles.

"Let's do this thing!"

I take first watch, over Brooke's amendment protests. Having many little siblings comes in handy sometimes, when you need to go, 'No, no, no, no no no no no no no no no, I can say no more times than you can say yes no no no no no no no no no no no no.' So, I took first watch. Eventually, I woke Brooke up and went to sleep myself.

 _Peter Mallard –35- -Capitol Resident- –Head Gamemaker- POV_

 **The Capitol, Arena control room.**

"But, Sir!" The tech pleads with me. "He's right there! We could flush him towards either of the groups!"

"Just wait," I say. "If he continues in his present direction, he'll run into those tomorrow. If he goes North, he'll run into the two that he's been avoiding so far."

"Sir..." the tech pleads again.

"Patience, young one," I say. "Now, would someone please bring me some coffee?"

"Yes, Sir!"

 **A/N: And another day of the glorious seventieth Hunger Games has passed! Half of our brave Tributes have now fallen, all at another's blade! Who will win? Who will lose? Who has style? Who has grace? Who can answer why that song is stuck in my head? These are the questions of the universe. See you tomorrow. –Astra**

 _The Fallen:_

 _Day 1. Satin Hermes, 18F, D1. Career. Stabbed in the back by Spire Windell._

 _Day 1. Rianna Meade, 16F, D3. Killed with an ax by Titanium Sparks._

 _Day 2. Kai Presley, 18M, D4. Sacrifice. Stabbed in the chest by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 2. Spire Windell, 16M, D5. Tortured. Killed by Topaz Hazard._

 _Day 1. Lindsay Cutt, 13F, D6. Decapitated by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 2. Edmund Caden, 15M, D6. Stabbed in the chest by Kai Presley._

 _Day 1. Twyler Onzui, 16F, D8. Throat slit by Lily Cross._

 _Day 2. Azalea Saffron, 12F, D9. Stabbed in the chest by Topaz Hazard._

 _Day 1. Angus Blush, Dem Blush, Miller Blush, 17M, D9. Stabbed by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 1. Belinda Mosler, 15F, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Day 1. Noah Jones, 17M, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Day 1. Calyx Anther, 17M, D11. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._

 _Day 2. Wyatt Fritz, 14M, D12. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._


	29. Day 3, Day 4The Finale

**Heat Chapter 28**

 **Day Three**

 **Warning: More violence and death here. This is the Hunger Games, you know. Oh, and since it's been a while since we did this one so: I do not own the rights to the Hunger Games. Those all belong to Suzanne Collins. You could make the argument that I don't own the Tributes either, which would be right. I do own Peter Mallard, Lucas Mikhailovich, and Katelynn O'Neill, even though they're cameos of real people (not Peter), their characters are mine. Danielle Hawkins is another character I borrowed. Okay, that's it. Onto the story.**

 **A/N: We've got fun and games… Welcome to the desert!**

 **And I'm really sorry, everyone. But, this is the last day of the Games, so… prepare for your Tribute to die. Only one will survive.**

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV  
_

Sofie wakes me up, and we share more of our food and water, which is starting to run low. If we want lunch, we'll have to hunt for it. We pack up camp and leave. We don't walk for very long before I notice something. I hold up my hand, and Sofie stops.

"What?" She whispers.

"Listen," I say.

"A fire," she says. "I can hear it."

"Right," I say. "And voices. I'll go check it out, you stay here."

"Wait," she says, but I'm already moving. She does as I ask. I squeeze through the trees, eventually reaching a small gap in them. I crouch, and peek through the trees, to see – the career camp. There's a fire, a tent, and two sleeping bags. The careers are sitting, eating canned food, around a fire. I sneak back to Sofie.

"It's the careers," I say. She raises an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah," I say, "they're eating breakfast. I guess they slept in."

"Of course," she says. "They're so arrogant. You know what we should do?"  
"What?" I ask. She smiles a smile that sends shivers down my spine. She explains her plan, and we get to work.

 **A few hours later…**

 _Lily Cross POV  
_

"Nobody to the East either," Topaz reports.

"I guess we go South then," I say. I sent the boys out to see if anyone was close to us. No one was. So, I picked a direction. Why didn't I go? I was protecting our equipment. And I didn't want to. I don't know how I became the leader, but that's what seems to have happened.

"Okay," Arc says. Then I hear something. I look in the direction of the sound. I see a girl running past the camp. She looks at us, then turns to run directly away.

"Let's go!" I say. Then I realize that I don't have my sword, it's still next to the fire. "I'll be right behind you!" I run to grab my sword as the boys, already armed with their weapons, follow the girl.

 _Titanium Sparks POV  
_

I chase the girl through the forest. Arc and Topaz are just behind me, but I want to be the one to catch her. I try to pull ahead of them, but it's hard, with the chest wound and all. I'm not running that fast, but neither is that girl. I manage to pick up a little bit of speed and – find myself sprawling face-first on the ground. I tripped. Over what, though? Then, I feel a knife in my back.

 _Athena Fallow POV_

" _The first thing we need to do," Sofie says,_ " _is to find some tall trees. The kind without spikes. The kind we can climb."_

" _The second thing we need to do is to take part of this net, and make a tripwire," she says._

I sit in my spot in the tree, ready to execute my part of the plan. I see the careers chasing after Sofie, and I see her jump over the tripwire. Just a small jump, hopefully, they won't notice. Then, she turns and disappears from their line of sight to continue her part in the plan. The first career reaches the tripwire and – well, he trips. Duh. I wait until the other careers are close enough, then throw one of my knives into the boy's back. I doubt he'll be getting back up anytime soon. If ever. Then, I cut the rope going from my tree to the next. I look over at the tree on the other side of the small path, where Sofie is. She does the same thing, and the rest of the net falls to the ground. And on to the other two careers.

 _Topaz Hazard POV_

I see Titanium trip, and barely have time to wonder why, before something falls on my head. As I trip and fall, I realize that I'm entangled in a net. I realize that I still have my sword though. Before I can use it, a knife hits me in the neck.

 _Arc Woods POV_

I see Titanium trip but continue on. Suddenly, I'm also falling to the ground, as a net encases me. I drop my sword as I fall to the ground. I see a spurt of blood from Titanium's neck, and then he too falls to the ground. I start to look around for my sword when I feel a sharp pain in my chest. I see that a knife protrudes from it before my head falls to the ground.

 _Athena Fallow POV_

" _The third thing we need to do is to put the net up between those two trees, like this…" "… then, when they're under it, we cut the wires. Then, you throw your knives at them, Athena."_

" _Where did you get this idea from, Sofie?"_

" _My book. The princess sets this trap to find out that George is with the automatons."_

" _Cool. Great idea, Sofie."_

I think back on our conversation as I leap from the tree. I land on the ground in a crouching position, but quickly stand up. Sofie takes a more conservative route down but is soon next to me. I high five her.

"That was a great plan!" I say. "We got them, and not a scratch on us!"

"Thanks!" She says, a small smile on her face. "Wait… wasn't there a girl?" As she asks the question, I see the girl jump from the bushes behind her.

"Behind you!"

 _Sofie Guinness POV_

"Behind you!" Athena shouts, and I turn around, raising my sword to defend myself. Lucky, as the girl's first blow comes down like a sledgehammer. I stagger a little bit but deflect it. I flashback to my sword training with Danielle. I parry the girl's next strike. I lean in and manage to make a small cut on her stomach. She flinches, but not nearly as much as I thought she would. She parries my next strike and pushes me back. She makes a large sweeping motion, leaving her stomach open. I slash at it, just the same way I did that first time back in training. I see blood sprouting from her stomach, but feel her sword coming down. I step back, only to find a tree behind me. Her blade cuts through my stomach, and I slump down on the tree trunk. I see that the other girl probably isn't getting up though. My thought is confirmed by the way blood spurts from her mouth as her cannon fires, and she falls backward. As if to make sure, Athena sends a knife from behind into the same spot I cut.

 _Lilly Cross POV  
_

I watched the boys run into a trap and get themselves killed. Fools. Although, if I hadn't had to grab my sword, I would have died right with them. I mentally thank these girls for doing the work for me. As they high-five, I realize they'll be easy kills. I'll decapitate this one from behind, and then slit the other's one's throat before they can respond. I leap from the bushes, but one of the girls notices and shouts a warning. I land, and quickly readjust my strike to come down into the girl instead of across. She manages to parry it, but staggers. I push my advantage, but she parries it again. She manages to inflict a small cut, but I gain the advantage again when she's surprised by my lack of response. I parry her next strike and get ready to deliver the killing blow, something that should split her stomach open. Instead, she does the same thing to me, although I still manage to land my strike, not as deeply as I would have liked. As I fall to the ground, I already know I'm dead, but apparently her ally didn't get the memo, as I feel a knife in my back, before I hear a cannon fire.

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV_

"Sofie!" I shout, running to her side, once I realize that she's injured. Most of the fight between her and the career girl happened too fast for me to follow, but I see that she managed to kill the girl, and now, she might be dead.

"Check their," she coughs, "supplies. For," another cough, "bandages."

"Right!" I say. I quickly run to the career camp, passing the dead bodies of the boys, and look around the camp for the survival kits I assume the must-have. I quickly find one and rummage through it until I find the bandages. I grab them and run back to Sofie. "Here we are," I say. "Doctor Fallow is in the house. Sit still, let me get a good look at the wound."

"I'm not going anywhere, Doc," she says, with a smile on her face. "So, tell me, how bad is it?"

"It's a horrible gaping wound. I'm amazed you're not dead yet. It's gushing like the River Styx," I say, sarcastically. "I don't know yet, eager jay. That's why I need to look at it." I examine her wound carefully. It doesn't look like it hit her organs or muscle, luckily. If it did hit her muscle, she might not be able to walk without pain. We'll see. "I think it's just a flesh wound," I say. "I'm going to put on the bandages, and then we'll see if you can walk."

"Okay," she says, then winces when I apply the bandage. I finish quickly, but make sure that it's on there tight, not letting any blood out, or, hopefully, air in.

"Okay there, Miss Guinness. Let's get you up and moving," I say. I offer her my hand, and she takes it, wincing as she stands up.

"Alright there?" I ask.

"Yeah," she says. "It just hurts."

"Okay," I say. "Can you walk?"

She takes a step, winces, and takes another one. "I can. It hurts though."

"Okay," I say. "Let's get you back to the career camp. We can sleep there for tonight."

"Okay," she says. We manage to walk back to the career camp, with me supporting Sofie when she needs it. I lay her down inside the tent.

"I'll keep watch," I say. "Get some rest."

"Yes, Doctor," she says. She has a jovial tone, but I can tell that she's tired. I hope the wound isn't infected, but with the hygiene in the arena, it probably is. I sit outside the tent, worrying about my friend.

 _Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV_

After Cyder wakes me up, we drink some water but realize that we're out of food.

"Is there any natural growing food here?" I almost shout the words, because I woke up hungry, and am still hungry. I don't see anything that even looks edible around here. "I'm on the verge of eating you, Cyder," I say.

"Let's not do that, Aurora," he says. "Hey, look over there. What are those?" I look closely. Shoot.

"Be very loud," I say, now shouting. "Make a lot of noise, and wave your arms. Look big and intimidating, and _don't_ show fear!"

"Why?" He asks.

"Those," I point towards the animals, "are coyotes. A whole pack. They're scared off by loud noises and big, scary things. We don't want to fight them."

"I don't think it's working," Aurora," he says. I hear the fear in his voice. The coyotes are advancing.

"Me neither," I say.

"What do we do if that doesn't work?" He asks. We're standing back-to-back now, facing the coyotes.

"We kill them," I say. I grab the pack of throwing knives. Four knives, ten coyotes. They're coming from all around us, a circle of killers. "Take two," I say. "On my signal, one per animal."

"Gotcha," he says, taking two knives. I take the other two and let the pack fall to the ground.

"Three…" I take aim at my first target. "Two… One… Go!" I throw my first knife, and the coyote goes down. The rest charge. I hear another one go down behind me. I quickly put the other knife in my right hand, and throw it at the closest one. It too goes down, as does another one of Cyder's. I switch my ax to my right, and hack of the head of the one closest. I hear another one go down behind Cyder, then I hear animal noises, as the rest of the pack stops to communicate. They scamper off.

"That wasn't hard," I say. "I thought that Gamemaker animals were supposed to be more aggressive."

"I agree," Cyder says, "but I'm not complaining."

"Neither am I," I say. "Breakfast!"

After our breakfast of coyote meat and water, we get moving. We walk for a few hours before we run into trouble.

 _Abi Hendrix POV_

I'm tired of death and killing. I and Brooke got up. We had our breakfast. We started walking. All was well, I'm pretty sure we even slept in. And then we ran into the pair from seven. We all stood there for a second, before the boy charges at us. Brooke and I exchange a glance that goes, _why this?_ , and then raise our weapons.

 _Aurora Dayton POV  
_

Fight people. Fight people. Why couldn't we have run, Cyder? Why? I guess I knew this was coming, at some point. I take my ax and attack the girl with the trident.

 _Brooke Nash POV  
_

I block the blonde girl's first strike easily. She doesn't seem to have her heart in this. I counter her next strike. I step back and under the next. I'm glad that I have a trident. If she had attacked Abi, I don't know how this would have gone. Sword versus ax is a bit of a harder fight. I stab forward, but she blocks it. She attacks, I block, and throw her off balance, but push myself backward.

 _Cyder Lamentian POV  
_

I saw the others. There weren't enough people left to make new alliances, so I attacked. I charge at the girl with the sword, who brings it up tiredly. I strike, and she blocks it. I strike, she blocks. She strikes, I block. We do this a few more times before I hear a shout.

"Switch!" The redhead shouts, and as I look towards her, I see her trident flying through the air. Before I know it, it hits me, and I fall back onto the ground. I already hear the cannon, and see the blonde pulling the trident out.

 _Abi Hendrix POV_

I'm not losing my fight, but I'm not winning it either. I spare a glance and see that Brooke's opponent has lost her footing and stumbled to the ground. I see Brooke looking my way, and assessing the situation.

"Switch!" She shouts and sends her trident flying at the boy. It hits him, knocking him to the ground. I know he's dead, nobody could survive a wound like that. Apparently the Gamemakers do too, as I hear a cannon. I throw my sword to Brooke, who catches it, as I pull the trident out of the boy. I start to run over to help Brooke, but then I realize that no hurry is needed.

 _Brooke Nash POV_

I see the girl stumble, and fall, her back against the tree. I look over at Abi and see that she's struggling in the fight against the boy. She's not losing, but she's not going to win, and I imagine that he has more stamina than her. I look at the girl again. She's struggling to get up. I'll be safe for a second. Or I won't, and I'll join Kai. Either way, Abi probably lives or has a better chance, and I don't care.

So, I shout "Switch!" I throw my trident at the boy. It hits him and kills him. A cannon goes off, and Abi throws me her sword. I turn back to the girl and raise my sword to guard against her, but I realize that she's still slumped against the tree trunk. Except… I look at her eyes. They're staring off into space. I wave my hand in front of her. No response. I wonder what happened…

 _Aurora Dayton POV  
_

I stumble back at the redhead's blow. I fall on the ground, and I expect her to kill me. After all, I think she was the girl from District Four. Not a career, but almost. Then, as I watch Cyder defending against the blonde, I see a trident fly into his side, and he falls down. Dead. Dead. Dead. Cyder, dead. My mom, dead. Me, probably dead too. I fall back against the tree. I don't want to get up. Dead, all of them. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead Dead Dead Dead.

 _Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV_

I look at the girl's eyes.

"I don't know what happened, Abi, but she's not coming back to us," I say.

"Oh," Abi says. "What do we do?"

"We have to kill her," I say. "She might already be dead, inside. We can't help her, and even if we did, we'd kill her later anyway. She's clearly traumatized. Let's save her more."

"Oh," Abi says. "Who… who should do it?" I look at her face, at her eyes. So young, although I don't think she's much younger than me. So innocent and hopeful. Or they used to be. That has just been ripped from them, from her. She's still so young though. Young and scared.

"I'll do it," I say. "Hand me your dagger." She does, silently. "Do you remember her name?" I ask.

"I think it was…" she thinks for a second. "Aurora. That was it. Aurora Dayton."

"Okay," I say. "You don't have to watch." She gets up and turns away. I kneel down in front of Aurora. "I'm sorry about this, Aurora," I say. "I know you're moving on to somewhere better though. I am sorry, but… it's the only option. Good night, Aurora." Then, I plunge my dagger into her heart. She only makes a small sound before she's gone. I close her eyes, gently. They didn't see the last few minutes anyway.

"Abi? Grab that ax and chop us some wood."

In a few minutes, we have a proper funeral pyre going. I lifted Aurora first, with the help of Abi, onto the pyre, and we waited until her body was burned before putting the boy on. The Capitol didn't even try to come to collect the bodies. I think they knew better. We stand and stare at the fire for a few minutes after Cyder's body disappears.

"We need to get moving, Abi," I say. "The smoke will give away our position to half of the arena."

"Right," she says. "Let's go." We walk away from the still-burning pyre.

A few hours later, we make camp. We haven't talked much, and I think that Abi is still in shock. She offers to take first watch, but I tell her no. She needs to sleep, to process. I probably do too, but I'll be alright. For now, at least. If I get home, I can deal with the psychological trauma later. I take first watch and eventually wake Abi up. She looks a little better. I fall asleep in a sleeping bag by the fire.

 _Kaine Thomason POV_

I walk all day, with no hope of finding anyone to kill until I see a giant plume of smoke. I don't know what idiot did that, but they'll pay dearly. I start towards it.

When I reach it, whoever made it already left, but they left tracks. So, I start to follow them. It gets dark quickly after I start, but I keep going in the same direction, assuming that they probably didn't change direction. I wouldn't have got much sleep anyway.

I'm rewarded for my efforts when I see a fire. I keep going towards it.

 **Note: The following events technically occurred on Game Day Four, at three AM Panem Central Time. Most citizens were not awake, so they were re-broadcast as soon as everyone was at work or school…**

 _Abi Hendrix POV_

Brooke wakes me up after what feels like a long time. I feel a little better now, but still really tired. I take watch, sitting by the fire, but eventually, I fall asleep. It would turn out to be my last mistake.

 _Kaine Thomason POV_

I walk quietly, with my knife (I left my spear at the edge of the camp) in hand. Both of them are sleeping. It looks like two girls. I don't know why they don't have someone on watch, but it will cost them. I go up to the first sleeping form. I can see in the firelight that it's a blonde girl. The one from District Twelve, I think. She's fallen asleep, without a sleeping bag, by the fire. I creep up next to her, and poise my knife over her throat, ready to cut. She stirs in her sleep, and her neck brushes the blade. I cut. She screams. My whole plan is ruined. She is dead, a cannon confirms that. Her body goes limp underneath me. But, her scream woke up her partner.

 _Brooke Nash POV_

I wake up to Abi's scream and a cannon shot.

"Abi! Are you alright?" I ask although I know what the answer is. I hear no answer. I grab my trident and look towards where she should be. I see a boy with a knife standing over Abi's body. "You killed her in her sleep?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says. "So?"

"She… ugh! She was an innocent little girl!" I say.

"She didn't look like it to me," he says.

"I. Will. Kill. You." I say. I put every ounce of sadness I have, for Kai, for Aurora, now for Abi, into those words. And I put every ounce of anger into my charge. He never saw it coming. Unfortunately, I never saw the knife. My trident plunged straight into his belly, and a cannon instantly went off. At the same time as I pulled my trident out, I realized that there was a knife sticking through my heart. I sat down. Then I laid down, next to Abi.

"Good night, Abi," I say. Then. "I'm coming, Kai. I hope you and Galia don't mind a third wheel." Then, I slip into the comforting white light.

 _The Fallen:_

 _Day 1. Satin Hermes, 18F, D1. Career. Stabbed in the back by Spire Windell._

 _Day 3. Topaz Hazard, 17M, D1. Career. Killed with a throwing knife by Athena Fallow._

 _Day 3. Lily Cross, 17F, D2. Career. Killed with a sword stroke across the stomach by Sofia Guinness._

 _Day 1. Rianna Meade, 16F, D3. Killed with an ax by Titanium Sparks._

 _Day 3. Titanium Sparks, 18M, D3. Career. Killed with a throwing knife by Athena Fallow._

 _Day 4. Brooke Nash, 15F, D4. Stabbed in the chest by Kaine Thomason._

 _Day 2. Kai Presley, 18M, D4. Sacrifice. Stabbed in the chest by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 2. Spire Windell, 16M, D5. Tortured. Killed by Topaz Hazard._

 _Day 1. Lindsay Cutt, 13F, D6. Decapitated by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 2. Edmund Caden, 15M, D6. Stabbed in the chest by Kai Presley._

 _Day 3. Aurora Dayton, 17F, D7. Mercy Kill. Stabbed in the heart by Brooke Nash._

 _Day 3. Cyder Lamentian, 17M, D7. Stabbed with a thrown trident by Brooke Nash._

 _Day 4. Kaine Thomason, 14M, D8. Stabbed with a trident by Brooke Nash._

 _Day 1. Twyler Onzui, 16F, D8. Throat slit by Lily Cross._

 _Day 2. Azalea Saffron, 12F, D9. Stabbed in the chest by Topaz Hazard._

 _Day 1. Angus Blush, Dem Blush, Miller Blush, 17M, D9. Stabbed by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 1. Belinda Mosler, 15F, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Day 1. Noah Jones, 17M, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Day 1. Calyx Anther, 17M, D11. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._

 _Day 4. Abi Hendrix, 14F, D12. Throat slit in her sleep by Kaine Thomason._

 _Day 2. Wyatt Fritz, 14M, D12. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._

 **The Finale:**

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11- POV  
_

I wake up to the sound of three cannon shots. I go into the tent to check on Sofie. She stirs awake. I place my hand on her forehead. She's burning up.

"I think you have a fever," I say. "I think your wound's infected."

"Really?" Sofie asks sarcastically. "I could have told you that. Was that three cannon shots?"

"Yeah," I say.

"It's just us, then," she says.

"I guess so," I say.

"Good job," she says. "You've won."

"I'm not killing you, Sofie," I say. "We can save you, the infection isn't that bad, and-"

"Athena!" I've never heard her voice this angry before. "I'm already dead. I have an infection, that could be bad. Let me speak," she holds a hand up to stop me from talking. It seems like it takes a lot of effort. "You have a fiance to go back to. I don't have anyone like that. I might die when I get back, you probably won't. Only one of us can win, and it should be you. And, I'd rather have you kill me than the Capitol, with some mutts, or a wall of fire, or something. And if they tried that, I wouldn't survive, you would. So, please, kill me."

"Okay," I say. I'm crying now. "Sofie..."

"One more thing," she says, reaching into her shirt. She pulls out her notebook and hands it to me. "Finish them. Please." I take her notebook and put it on the ground next to me.

"Okay," I say. "I will." I pause. "I'm sorry, Sofie."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she says. "Do it. Do it now, I'm ready."

"Okay," I say. I reach for the dagger I had left with her, to protect herself. I grab it, and before I can stop myself, I plunge it into her heart. She smiles at me, and her hand falls to her side. I gently close her eyes and cross her arms over her chest. I hear her cannon go off.

 _Sofie Guinness –16- -D5- POV_

Sacrificing myself for Athena was the easiest thing I ever did. I was going to die anyway, whether or not Athena would admit it. I know that my family will be taken care of. All I hope is that she finishes my stories. She has a family to go back to, a fiance, who will be very happy. They better name a kid after me though. I slip into the light easily.

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11V, 70HG- POV_

I step out of the tent, with Sofie's book in hand.

"Here I am!" I shout. "I won!"

Then I hear the announcer's voice. "Congratulations to Athena Fallow, winner of the 70th Annual Hunger Games!" I'm blinded by the lights of a hovercraft that lands in front of me.

 _The Fallen:_

 _Day 1. Satin Hermes, 18F, D1. Career. Stabbed in the back by Spire Windell._

 _Day 3. Topaz Hazard, 17M, D1. Career. Killed with a throwing knife by Athena Fallow._

 _Day 3. Lily Cross, 17F, D2. Career. Killed with a sword stroke across the stomach by Sofia Guinness._

 _Day 1. Rianna Meade, 16F, D3. Killed with an ax by Titanium Sparks._

 _Day 3. Titanium Sparks, 18M, D3. Career. Killed with a throwing knife by Athena Fallow._

 _Day 4. Brooke Nash, 15F, D4. Stabbed in the chest by Kaine Thomason._

 _Day 2. Kai Presley, 18M, D4. Sacrifice. Stabbed in the chest by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 4. Sofia 'Sofie' Guinness, 16F, D5. Sacrifice. Stabbed in the heart by Athena Fallow._

 _Day 2. Spire Windell, 16M, D5. Tortured. Killed by Topaz Hazard._

 _Day 1. Lindsay Cutt, 13F, D6. Decapitated by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 2. Edmund Caden, 15M, D6. Stabbed in the chest by Kai Presley._

 _Day 3. Aurora Dayton, 17F, D7. Mercy Kill. Stabbed in the heart by Brooke Nash._

 _Day 3. Cyder Lamentian, 17M, D7. Stabbed with a thrown trident by Brooke Nash._

 _Day 4. Kaine Thomason, 14M, D8. Stabbed with a trident by Brooke Nash._

 _Day 1. Twyler Onzui, 16F, D8. Throat slit by Lily Cross._

 _Day 2. Azalea Saffron, 12F, D9. Stabbed in the chest by Topaz Hazard._

 _Day 1. Angus Blush, Dem Blush, Miller Blush, 17M, D9. Stabbed by Edmund Caden._

 _Day 1. Belinda Mosler, 15F, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Day 1. Noah Jones, 17M, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes._

 _Day 1. Calyx Anther, 17M, D11. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._

 _Day 4. Abi Hendrix, 14F, D12. Throat slit in her sleep by Kaine Thomason._

 _Day 2. Wyatt Fritz, 14M, D12. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods._

Victor: Athena Fallow.

 **To be continued…**

 **A/N: Okay, so… the Games are done. Originally, I was planning something slightly different, and to post Day 4/The Finale as a different chapter, but I decided against it, so here we are. Oh… my… goodness. You know, I teared up at writing Aurora and Brooke's deaths. But… it happened. What did you all think? Was it good? Also, I wasn't lying, there is more to come. There will be an epilogue, and I'm seriously considering a sequel. No, not Ice, the 71st Hunger Games. Or maybe so. You'll just have to read it to find out. Anyway, stay tuned for the Epilogue.**


	30. Epilogue

**Heat Chapter 29**

 **Epilogue.**

 _Athena Fallow –17- -D11V- POV_

The after-Games was intense. I was flown back to the Capitol. Isabella was there, and congratulated me on winning, and teased me about taking her job from her too early. When we got back to the Capitol, I had to convince them to make two very special exceptions for me.

 **District Eleven City Center, One day after the end of the Games**

"You know," I say to Alix, "I thought it would be a little smaller."

"Well," he says, with that sparkle in his eyes that I missed for even the time we were separated, "they do tend to go all out for Hunger Games victors, you know."

"Yes, but they pulled all this together in a day?" I ask.

He smiles. "We had a lot of help."

"Eh-hem," Alix's father says. "Not to interrupt, but could we get on with this? If that's alright, Miss Fallow?"

"Of course," I say. "Minister, you may proceed."

"Thank you," he says. I look over the assembled crowd. The whole District must have turned out for our wedding, which I didn't except. I always thought that we would get married in the Justice Building by a clerk. But, here we are, in the City Center, with a real Minister, the only one in the District. I tune back in just in time to hear him say, "Do you, Athena Caitlin Fallow, take this man, Alix Julian Feere, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do," I say, smiling.

"And do you, Alix Julian Feere, take this woman, Athena Caitlin Fallow, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do," Alix says, also with a smile on his face.

"Then, by the power vested in me by the President of Panem, I declare you Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Alix always sweeps me off my feet when we kiss, and this time was no exception. I hear the clapping of the audience. Normally, they wouldn't let me get married at seventeen, and normally, I wouldn't be able to go home before my victory tour. Those are the two exceptions I asked for.

 _One day later…_

I wake up next to Alix. I smile. It's good to be home. To have a home again, finally. Now, though, it's my home. I get up, get dressed, and eat, before waking Alix up.

"I have to go, honey. I'm sorry, but you know this was an exception."

"I know," he says. "Goodbye kiss?" He leans up out of the bed. I kiss him softly.

"Of course. Now go back to sleep."

"I can do that," he says and tucks himself under the covers. I grab a notebook off my nightstand, tucking it into an inside pocket of my shirt. I leave the house when it's still dark out to board the train to District One.

 _Pearl Hazard –40- -D1R- POV_

I open the door when someone knocks on it. It's a girl with tan skin, whose copper hair is in a braid down her back.

"Hello, Ms. Hazard," the girl says. "I'm sorry to bother you at this time, I know this must be hard for you. But, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about Topaz?" Now I recognize her. It's the girl who won the Hunger Games, that Athena person. I go to close the door, but she says something that stops me. "I'm sorry, I know what I did. But… I'm making good on a promise to a friend."

"Okay," I say. "Come in, please."

My husband, Oynx, walks by. "Honey, who's at the door?" He asks. Then, he stops when he recognizes Athena. "What is she doing here?" He asks, angrily. "She killed our son!"

"Honey," I say, putting my arm out in front of him, and using my voice to calm him. "Miss Fallow is just here to ask us some questions about Topaz."

"Why?" He asks.

"I just want to make sure he's remembered," Athena says. "The right way. And, it's Missus Feere now, but, please, Athena."

"Why?" He asks again.

"You remember the girl who was my partner? Sofie?" Athena asks.

"Yes," Oynx says. "Sort of."

"Right. Well, she wanted me to finish the story. The story of us, and the Hunger Games. That's why I'm doing this. I want to have Topaz's story, too," Athena says.

Oynx calms down. "Okay," he says. "Please, have a seat, Ms. Feere."

"Thank you," she says. "And, Athena, please." She pulls out a notebook from the front pocket of her shirt and pulls out the small pencil in the side. "I just have a few questions…"

 _Garret Nash –40- -D4R- POV_

I open the door to my house.

"Hello?" I ask the young women standing on the doorstep.

"Hello, Mr. Nash," she says. "Athena Feere. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions about Brooke."

"Of course," I say. "Come on in."

 _Willa Guinness –42- -D5R- POV_

I open the door to my house after I hear three short knocks.

"Hello?" I ask before I open the door.

"Ms. Guinness?" The girl holds out her hand, and I recognize her instantly. "I'm Athena Feere. I knew your daughter, Sofie."

"I know who you are," I say. "Please, come right on in." She does. "Please, sit," I motion to the kitchen table, where two of my kids are playing with something messy. I don't even know what this particular toy is. "Children, we have a guest."

"Oh!" Athena says. "Please, don't make a fuss. I won't be here long. I'm just here to give you something. But, you might want your husband to come out soon."

"He's just getting ready for work," I say. "Honey! Come out here for a minute." He does. "We have a visitor. This is -"

"Athena," he says. "The girl who took care of Sofie." He walks over to her and extends his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Athena."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Guinness," Athena says. "I'm surprised you aren't," she pauses, "angrier."

"Why would I be?" He asks. "I doubted that she would ever come back. You gave her a longer life and a better death then she would have had without you. Also, you promised to finish her stories, and I know how important those were to her."

"Thank you," Athena says. "And I guess that you can imagine why I'm here then."

"Yes," he says.

"Well then," Athena says, with a smile. "I guess that there's no point in building dramatic suspense anymore." She pulls a wad of cash from her bag and thumps it on the table. Then a few more. "This to start, and more anytime you want or need it. You'll get this every month, and if you ever need more just write. Okay?"

"Of… of course," I say, shocked. "But… we… we wouldn't want to-"

"Oh, don't worry about me," she says. "I'm giving pensions to some of the other families who deserve it since I've been visiting them to finish Sofie's story. Not as much, obviously, but I'll be fine. The cost of living in District Eleven isn't very high," she smiles. "I should be going though. I have another family to talk to here, to finish her story."

"Of course," I and my husband say simultaneously.

"Thank you, Mr., Ms. Guinness," she says. "It's been a pleasure."

"Thank you," I say, and shake her hand. My husband does the same.

 _Joe Dayton –39- -D7R- POV_

I open my door to a young woman standing outside of it. I know who it is.

"Athena. Come in please."

 _Cassidy Hendrix –34- -D12R- POV_

I open the door to Athena Feere. I'm surprised, to say the least. Victors don't normally stay in town after their victory tour.

"Ms. Hendrix. Athena Feere. Can I ask some questions about Abi?"

"Of course."

 **Three months later…**

 _Athena Feere –18- -D11V- POV  
_

It took me a few months to get the book ready. First was the two-week-long victory tour, where I talked to all of the Tribute's families. Then was the writing what they said. Then was the editing, oh the editing. But now, it's finally done. Sofie's family got an early release copy, signed by me, with their monthly payment.

" _Heat, The 70th Hunger Games_

 _By Sofie Guinness_

 _Minor additions by Athena Feere_

 _Author's note: These are the events of the 70th Hunger Games, complied as best as I could. Sofie's account is hers, and mostly matches my recollection of events. My account is my own, however, there may be slight mis-remembrances, as it was only complied after the fact. The accounts of the other Tributes are complied from official Capitol footage of the Games and Reaping Days, as well as interviews with the families of the Tributes about the Reaping Day, their goodbyes to their Tribute, and their Tribute's character. Select friends have also been interviewed. Interviews are direct transcripts, and training is transcribed footage, and what mentors remember. I received those accounts via letter. This book is made to fulfill a promise to a friend, and to provide an accurate account of the 70th Hunger Games, which shows the Tributes as the people they were. I hope that you enjoy, and perhaps learn something from, this book._

 _Wishing you the best, Athena Feere._

 _Chapter 1._

 _District Five Reapings…"_

 **The Capitol**

"That girl's book came out today."

"Which one?"

"That Athena one, the one who talked to all the families."

"Oh! What did they tell her again?"

"That we were dead."

"And did she believe them?"

"It says she did. Why wouldn't she?"  
"I don't know. I just get paranoid, I guess."

"It's fine, honey. We should get going though. The head Gamemaker wants to meet with us."

"Of course, fellow Gamemaker." The man smiles at his wife. "Let's go."

"Welcome, Mr., Ms. Presley," Peter Mallard says. "I'm sorry about your son."

"You can stop saying that now, Sir. It's been months. We never were that fond of Kai anyway."

 **Nine months later… The day before Reaping day…**

 _District 1_

Diamond Knowles sends her sword swinging through a bag, then drops it and beats another one to within an inch of its life. Her friend from the Academy, Charlotte, walks into the room and almost gets hit in the face with a punching bag.

"Whoa!" Charlotte says. "Diamond!"

"I'm training!" She says and punches the bag again. Charlotte catches the bag.

"Diamond! Why are you training so hard?" Charlotte asks.

"You. Know. Why." Diamond says. "He. Was." Now she punctuates every word with an attack on the bag. "Supposed. To. Come. Back. To. Me. And." She stops punching the bag, and relaxes, going around the bag to talk to her friend. "I may not be able to kill that coward Athena, but I can kill everyone else. And I can win. For him."

"Right..." Charlotte says.

 _District 7_

Juniper Aysitera punches the bag, again and again. Over and over. Her fists start to hurt, but she's used to it by now. Her little sister, Willow, now fourteen, walks into the room.

"Juniper, why are you still training?" She asks.

"Because I'm going to volunteer tomorrow," Juniper says.

"But you know I don't want you too. Marlo doesn't want you to. Cyder wouldn't have wanted you to," Willow says.

"Look, Willow. I probably won't. But, if somebody gets Reaped, somebody who can't survive, like that girl from nine last year, I'll volunteer. And I'll survive," Juniper says.

"Okay. Promise me that unless it's a twelve-year-old, you won't volunteer," Willow says.

"Sure," Juniper says. "I love you." She hugs her sister and then holds her at arm's length. "Promise _me_ that you'll ask out Cedar tomorrow."

"No," Willow says, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, come on! Why not? You've been there for him since Cyder died, comforting him," Juniper says. "You know he feels the same way about you. You're just too _chicken_ to ask him."

"No, I'm not!" Willow protests.

"You're a big chicken! Chicken, chicken, chicken..."

 _The Capitol_

 _Peter Mallard –36- -Capitol Resident- -Head Gamemaker- POV_

"Sir?" I ask the President.

"I'm thinking, Mr. Mallard. Give me a second," I stand, respectfully, with my hands behind my back as he thinks. "Here's what I'm going to do. We'll do a forest, just like this says. But, I want to do a version of what we did last year."

"The year the Games only lasted three days?" I ask, surprised.

"Unless I've forgotten a whole year, then yes, Mallard. Except that I want us to let them die of dehydration or starvation, or wandering into the den of a wolf. I don't want you to put flowers for them to sniff and die though. And put the Arena back to its normal size. I want a nice long Games, but I still want people to fight. All of the fights last year were quality entertainment."

"Yes, Sir. Of course, Sir."

 **Reaping Day**

 **District Eleven**

 _Athena Feere –18- -D11V- POV_

I walk onto the stage. I remember when I was here, only a year ago. It feels like such a long time ago, now. But here I am again. And even though I'm safe, a year early, I still feel scared. Scared for whoever will get picked. Who I'll have to train. But, I'll do my best to bring them home. I stand politely by as Maris pulls the slip of paper out of the bowl.

"The Female Tribute from District Eleven is…"

 **The End,**

 **of**

 **Heat, the Story of the 70th Hunger Games**

 **The story continues in: Shine, the 71st Hunger Games.**

 **A/N: We're here, kids. This is the last stop. It's been a wild ride, but you can get off now. Or, you know, you can read my next story, featuring those people that logically are still around from this one. People who have submitted Tributes here are allowed, and encouraged, to submit to Shine. We're done, so I only have one question: Was I a good author?**

 **Note about Shine: With Shine, I'll be going for a bit of a longer Games, because there will be survival stories, and I'll much less generous with the equipment. I did feel that the Games for Heat were a bit short, but it's just how the story worked out. Nobody will get an unexciting death, but if your Tribute can't find water… well, then they're dead from dehydration. Still, nobody will just die without a fight, whether it's versus another Tribute, maybe a pack of animals, or the forces of nature. I hope you all read and submit Tributes! See you all later!**

 _Every Hunger Games, one can survive. Only one. This year, they will all have to shine like Suns or burn out like failed stars._

 _May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor – Astra_


End file.
